Church of God News

A photostatic copy of a page from Ilustração Portugueza, October 29, 1917, showing the crowd looking up

COGWriter

Today is the Roman Catholic feast day for “Our Lady of Fatima”.

Here is some of what the reported about it:

May 13

Our Lady of Fatima

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. (See February 20 entry for Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto).

Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia…

Mary gave the children three secrets. Since Francisco died in 1919 and Jacinta the following year, Lucia, who later became a Carmelite nun, revealed the first secret in 1927, concerning devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary….

Pope John Paul II directed the Holy See’s Secretary of State to reveal the third secret in 2000; it spoke of a ‘bishop in white’ who was shot by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows into him. Many people linked this to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981.

The feast of Our Lady of Fatima was approved by the local bishop in 1930; it was added to the Church’s worldwide calendar in 2002. Sister Lucia died in 2005 at the age of 97.

Comment:

The message of Fatima is simple: Pray. Unfortunately, some people—not Sister Lucia—have distorted these revelations, making them into an apocalyptic event…

(The Comment above is from the American Catholic website.)

Of course, I do not believe that Mary actually appeared before those children, but do accept that they could have seen some type of apparition.

But it is true that various ones affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church have indicated that the Fatima message had more to say than most Catholics have been told.

Here is what Wikipedia reports:

The Vatican withheld the third secret until June 26, 2000 – despite Lúcia’s declaration that it could be released to the public after 1960. Several sources, including Canon Barthas and Cardinal Ottaviani, said that Sr. Lúcia insisted to them it must be released by 1960, saying, “by that time, it will be more clearly understood.” When 1960 passed without any such announcement, immense speculation over the content of the secret materialized.

Some sources claim that the third part of the secret revealed in the year 2000 was not the real secret, or at least not the full secret. This was long suspected because it was known that the third part of the Secret began with the words, “In Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved etc.” Sister Lúcia revealed this in her Fourth Memoir. These words and even this theme were not reflected by the version released by the Vatican on June 26, 2000…

Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) said in November 1984 that the Secret would cause “sensationalism” and dealt with the “end times.” This comment could not be understood if the Secret referred to the assassination attempt in 1981.

On November 11, 1984, as reported in the Pauline Catholic magazine Jesus, Cardinal Ratzinger stated that he had “read the text of the Third Secret.” When asked why he had not revealed it, he replied that “in the judgment of previous Popes, it adds nothing to what Christians must know respecting what is stated in the Book of Revelation.”

This followed the report in the October 1981 issue of the German Catholic magazine Stimme des Glaubens of a discussion at Fulda in November 1980 when Pope John Paul II had stated to a select group of German Catholics, in response to the question why he had not revealed the Third Secret of Fatima, “If you read that the oceans will inundate continents, and millions of people will die suddenly in a few minutes, once this is known, then in reality it is not necessary to insist on the publication of this Secret.” (Our Lady of Fatima. Wikipedia. Viewed 4/15/08).

Furthermore, here are some comments from a Catholic priest:

How often we hear the questions, in the context of all the confusion in the Church, the troubles in the world, “What is it leading to? Where will it end?” We know exactly where it’s going to end, because Our Lady of Fatima said, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph …”…

The very substance of that chastisement is set forth in the Third Secret of Fatima. What is the Third Secret of Fatima?…But the Third Secret properly, so called, is not that vision — that pertains to the Secret — it is part of the Secret, but the Secret consists of Our Lady’s words…

“The False Church of Darkness”

This is what Our Lady meant when She said that the Holy Father would be persecuted; the Church would be persecuted. Anne Catherine Emmerich, the stigmatic Augustinian nun, described the counterfeit church, what she called the “False church of darkness”. The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world — not by the faithful, but by the world — by the secular world and the secular governments.

The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the “church,” and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That “church” will be united with all the false religions. They will be united together under the universality of the Masonic umbrella. In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world. This is how we will get into the time of great persecution such as the world has never seen.

In the Third Secret we have in some very cut and dry detail, exactly what will be the nature of that Great Chastisement…

Pope John Paul II, at the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976, when he was not yet Pope — he was still Cardinal Wojtyla — he spoke about that chastisement, that which is the substance of the Third Secret of Fatima. And he said that the Church must undergo a great trial, it will be the struggle between the Church and the anti-Church; the Gospel and the anti-Gospel.

And shortly after he was elected Pope in 1981, he returned to that same theme, and this time he spoke explicitly of this being the substance of the Message of Fatima, the Secret of Fatima. And he reiterated that the Church must soon undergo great trials.

Are They Lying to Us?

So what is in the Third Secret of Fatima? On the twenty-sixth of June, 2000, five years ago, the Vatican published a vision which they claimed was the entire Third Secret of Fatima. I was talking with a Brazilian Bishop, and he asked me, “Well if there’s more to the Third Secret than the vision, are they lying to us, because they said that was the whole Third Secret?” I answered, “Cardinal Ratzinger is using a mental reservation. The entire Secret is implicitly contained in that vision. In that sense, in that very restricted sense, it is the whole Secret.”

But the Third Secret properly, so called, is not that vision — that pertains to the Secret — it is part of the Secret, but the Secret consists of Our Lady’s words. As Father Valinho, the nephew of Sister Lucy, pointed out, that phrase “in Portugal the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc.” is where the Third Secret begins…

Proof: “Truly That Was Not All of It”

What was revealed on June 26, 2000, was four pages of Sister Lucy describing a vision. It was not the words of Our Lady. It is such a well known fact that the Secret is divided into three parts, and we have the text of the first two parts. And therefore, where that text ends, in mid-sentence, with the “etc.”, that’s where the Third Secret begins. It’s a matter of common sense, one does not have to be a philologist, and get into a great deal of analysis of textual criticism, to reach the conclusion that this is where the Second part of the Secret ends, and the Third part begins.

But there is really no doubt about it. On the 2^nd of September, 1952, when Father Schweigl had been sent personally by Pope Pius XII to Coimbra, to interview Sister Lucy on the Third Secret, he spoke personally with Sister Lucy, authorized by the Pope to do so. He returned to Rome and at the Russicum, where he lived, he told his confreres, when they asked him about the Third Secret of Fatima: “I cannot reveal anything of what I learned at Fatima concerning the third secret, but I can say that it has two parts: one concerns the Pope. The other, logically — although I must say nothing — would have to be the continuation of the words: In Portugal the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved.”

So it is a quite certainly established fact that the words of Our Lady of Fatima continue after that “etc.” And in the memoir of Sister Lucy, after that “etc.” she puts in parenthesis the words, “Here begins the third part of the Secret“.

Those who have studied Fatima know that what was published five years ago, on the 26^th of June, is not the whole Secret; it simply is not. The night before, I should say the early morning of the 26^th of June, I went to bed; I left the instruction: it doesn’t matter how early it is, as soon as that Secret is published, bring it to me — wake me up if you have to…

The Third Secret is About Vatican II

This professor is a priest that I know personally, and a number of people that I know, know this priest personally. He pressed on further for an answer, he would not back off. And he demanded, “What is in the Secret? If that’s not all of it, well, what is there?” Ratzinger’s answer makes it clear. There’s no longer any mystery why they have kept it hidden for so many years. And why the Vatican officials, during the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, said in their press release that, “It may never be published,” it may not ever be released. Ratzinger said that in the Third Secret, Our Lady warns that there will be an evil council. And She warned against the changes: She warned against making changes in the liturgy; changes in the Mass. This is explicitly set forth in the Third Secret…

Pope St. Pius X said he had a vision, and he saw in the vision his successor fleeing over the dead bodies of his brethren, and that this Pope would have to go into exile. He would go into hiding, he would have to wear a disguise to conceal his identity. He would live in retirement, but then he would be discovered, and he would suffer a cruel death.

I think we can safely conclude that these prophecies may be fulfilled in this Pontificate of Benedict XVI…

“The False Church of Darkness”

This is what Our Lady meant when She said that the Holy Father would be persecuted; the Church would be persecuted. Anne Catherine Emmerich, the stigmatic Augustinian nun, described the counterfeit church, what she called the “False church of darkness”. The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world — not by the faithful, but by the world — by the secular world and the secular governments.

The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the “church,” and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That “church” will be united with all the false religions. They will be united together under the universality of the Masonic umbrella. In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004. THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/15/08).

Here is information from another Catholic source:

Father O’Connor quotes from Holy Scripture, the stunning prophecies of St. Vincent Ferrer, Pope St. Pius X, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Eudes, Sr. Lucy of Fatima, Pope Pius XII and Bishop Fulton J. Sheen. Father explains how God will and is punishing the world for sin, and that the Fathers of the Church all wrote that the False Prophet would be a Catholic Bishop who will become an invalid anti-pope while the real Pope dies a cruel death in exile.http://www.catholictreasures.com/cartdescrip/20104.html 10/12/07

“This final false prophet will be a bishop of the church and will lead all religions into becoming one.” - Father O’Connor (http://www.geocities.com/rebornempowered/ApparitionsofMary.htm 10/12/07)

The truth is that the final Pope, will be demon-influenced, hence in that sense he will be an antipope, as well as anti-Christ.

FWIW, I have long felt that many Catholic prophecies about an old pope fleeing and then dying seemed to possibly be pointing to Pope Benedict XVI (especially, because according to the Malachy prophecies, there is only one pope listed after the Benedictine pope, see Bander, Peter. The Prophecies of St. Malachy. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973).   And according to another “private prophecy” (Helen Wallraff, 19th century) a pope is supposed to flee and die in Cologne, Germany (Dupont Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p. 78)–and Germany would seem to be a place that a German pope may flee to (Pope Benedict XVI is German).

Another, considered fringe, Catholic named Kathleen Keating has stated:

You asked if the next pope would be the antipope. Valid prophecies seem to think so, but there are a few prophecies that indicate there might be another pope before the antipope arrives. It’s really up to God, but we also have to add in the One World Order crowd and what they are doing to bring the antipope to power. God of course, takes all that into consideration. How will we know the next pope is the antipope? All we have to do is to observe him, and discern what he says and does.

It will be quite clear if the man is the antipope if he systematically abolishes tradition, changes the Mass or incorporates a new practice, a new faith on the premise of it being much more conducive to our modern way of life.

With the conditions the ways they are today, the next pope could very well be the antipope…

Right now there is a concerted effort to cast a dark shadow over the Fatima prophecies (Keating K. Audio Update Transcript - 10/13/2004; Written by admin Friday, 16 June 2006. http://kathleenkeating.com/news/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=61&Itemid=2 viewed 4/15/08).

Notice the following from the stigmatic nun Anne Catherine Emmerich on May 13, 1820:

Then I saw the connection between the two Popes and two temples…in authorizing the erection of false temples, he had allowed the only true God , the only true religion to be lost among so many false gods and false religions…

I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church ; I saw it increase (Schmöger Carl E. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Volume 2. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourgh Peter Joseph. TAN Books, reprint 1976, pp. 280,281).

Hence, prior to Fatima, there were Catholic visions that an “anti-pope” would arise towards the end. And it is true that the last “Pope” will be demon-influenced, will appear ecumenical, and will be the final Antichrist.

Those interested in what church is, and will remain, faithful, may wish to read the following articles:

Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist. This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”.
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Catholic writings indicate this, but what does the Bible show?

Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

COGwriter

In its Good News magazine, UCG reported:

Europe’s first president: Prophetic significance?

In January 2009 the United States will inaugurate its 44th president. The selection process has been underway for many months. But few realize that, across the Atlantic, it’s quite possible that the European Union (EU) may see its first president also assume office in January of next year, beginning a 2½-year term.

Currently the two primary candidates are former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Jean-Claude Juncker, current prime minister of Luxembourg. The EU process of selection runs roughly parallel with this year’s U.S. presidential race, although the methods are vastly different. The much less democratic EU selection will be by a “council of chiefs of state and government created by the Lisbon Treaty” (International Herald Tribune, Jan. 22, 2008).

Europeans who oppose Tony Blair’s candidacy point to Britain’s ambivalence about its EU role in general. The U.K.’s choice to reject the euro as a national currency doesn’t help his cause either. Britain’s participation in the Iraq War is yet another important factor. However, in January Mr. Blair delivered a strong pro-Brussels speech in the French language at a Parisian conference in the presence of the new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.

Prime Minister Juncker’s reputation is “that of a European federalist or super-state advocate” (ibid.). Many in Britain oppose his candidacy. Perhaps a compromise choice will eventually emerge.

The term of office and the powers of this new EU presidential office are definitely limited in scope for the present time. Still, many European observers consider it a groundbreaking move forward for Europe. This is just one more step in the steady EU progression towards greater political union with a European military force firmly in the EU vision. In retrospect, the progress made in the last 50 years has been nothing short of astonishing.

And the reality is that not only has Europe’s unification “progress” been astounding, it is even more astounding when one considers the fact that the European peoples themselves (specifically the Western ones) have generally not approved the plans for this unification. (It is also astounding that Tony Blair became a Catholic last year, which would tend to help his chances, see also UCG: What About the President of the European Union? and Tony Blair a Catholic EU Leader?).

Now another source has reported the following:

Secret deal between EU-3 blocks Blair as EU president

EUobserver - April 21, 2008

UK prime minister Gordon Brown has agreed to a secret deal with Germany and France which effectively rules out Tony Blair as a new EU president but the British ex-leader is also interested in the new role of Europe’s foreign chief, a UK daily is reporting.

And while Tony Blair may or may not be the first EU President (and thus may or may not actually be blocked), he most certainly will NOT hold onto power as the EU will eventually destroy his native land.

Biblical prophecy shows that a Beast-power will arise, will invade the Anglo-Saxon powers, and Europe (for many reasons) is the logical place for the location of this Beast-power. And the Church of God has been warning about this for over 60 years!

We in the Living Church of God will further continue to warn people that the Beast-power is forming in Europe and will eventually destroy the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand–as well as impose its new order religion on the rest of the world.

Two articles of related interest may include:

Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? What kind of religion will he attempt to impose on the world? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?

Page 9 of the Dresden Codex (from the 1880 Förstermann edition)

COGwriter

As regular readers of the COGwriter news page are aware, I do not believe that the Great Tribulation can begin until at least 2012–and that it will most likely start in 2013-2017.

The reason for at least 2012 is biblical (comparing Daniel 9:26-27 to Daniel 11:31 and Daniel 12) as there needs to be a certain 7 year deal that gets broken in the middle to be started before it can be broken–adding 1/2 of seven years to any date after June 30, 2008 brings one to 2012 or later (more details are in the article End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something?).

Now part of the reason that I believe that the tribulation will NOT start until 2013 or afterwards is because I believe that since Satan knows when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, Satan has a pretty good idea of when his 6,000 year reign over humankind will be over.

I believe that Satan, thus, has inspired many throughout the ages to prophecy events to occur in 2012 and other periods so that when the true Church proclaims when the end is coming (which may be shortly after 2012) that the vast majority of humankind will dismiss those proclamations as more false prophecies.

USA Today reported the following in an article titled Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse?:

Journalist Lawrence Joseph forecasts widespread catastrophe in Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization’s End. Spiritual healer Andrew Smith predicts a restoration of a “true balance between Divine Feminine and Masculine” in The Revolution of 2012: Vol. 1, The Preparation. In 2012, Daniel Pinchbeck anticipates a “change in the nature of consciousness,” assisted by indigenous insights and psychedelic drug use…

Part of the 2012 mystique stems from the stars. On the winter solstice in 2012, the sun will be aligned with the center of the Milky Way for the first time in about 26,000 years. This means that “whatever energy typically streams to Earth from the center of the Milky Way will indeed be disrupted on 12/21/12 at 11:11 p.m. Universal Time,” Joseph writes (G. Jeffrey MacDonald. Does Maya calendar predict 2012 apocalypse? USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2007-03-27-maya-2012_n.htm viewed 01/14/08).

What the records actually were intended to mean by the ancient Mayans is unknown and has been subject to a lot of debate.

When the Spaniards came across the Mayans, they considered them to have pagan practices associated with the devil. Because of that, once they conquered them, they began to burn and otherwise destroy most of the writings of their civilization (known as codices), most notably under the direction of Bishop Diego de Landa. One Catholic, however, intervened and prevented three from being destroyed. These Mayan codices are now known as the Madrid, Dresden, and Paris codices. There also is a fourth, the Grolier codex, whose authenticity is sometimes disputed, but may be genuine–only a few pages from it survive. From time to time, other fragments of Mayan writings of this period have also been found. The Dresden Codex contains the highest amount of astronomical observations and calculations of any of the surviving texts.

One writer (probably Robert Bast who has his own “wiki”) has stated this about the Mayans and the calendar:

Like the Aztec and Inca who came to power later, the Maya believed in a cyclical nature of time. The rituals and ceremonies were very closely associated with celestial/terrestrial cycles which they observed and inscribed as separate calendars. The Maya priest had the job of interpreting these cycles and giving a prophetic outlook on the future or past based on the number relations of all their calendars. They also had to determine if the “heavens” or celestial matters were appropriate for performing certain religious ceremonies (Mayan Civilization. http://2012wiki.com/index.php?title=Maya_civilization viewed 01/14/08).

The actual Wikipedia states:

The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar forms the basis for a New Age belief, first forecast by José Argüelles, that a cataclysm will take place on or about 21 December 2012 (Maya Calendar. Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_calendar viewed 01/14/08).

The History Channel claimed:

The Mayan calendar seems to say that the world will end in 2012 (Crowley, Phil. 2012, Decoding the Past. Original air date 03/01/07).

So we see two interpretations from different sources that indicate that either something terrible or something very good will happen in or near the end of 2012 according to Mayan prophecies.

And while I believe that 2012 is just a little bit too early for the end, several divergent sources seem to point to that year for some type of major change.

Perhaps one of the more fascinating is related to the Chinese I Ching. Although some aspects of it slightly remind me of the so-called Bible Code, there have been some calculations made apparently based upon looking at all the 64 possible combinations one can obtain by throwing the three discs and plotting the associated full and broken lines from using the I Ching:

Fractal time and the I Ching…

Various fringe scientists have tried to calculate this point of infinity, giving us calculated dates ranging from 2010 to 2050. Dates that many of us will live to see. Perhaps the date is Dec 22, 2012. Ethnobotanists and fractal time experts Terrence and Dennis McKenna believe so, and they present their ideas in Invisible Landscape: Mind Hallucinogens and the I Ching (1993).

Their studies began with the I Ching, which is composed of 64 hexagrams, or six-line figures. It struck them that 6 x 64 = 384, which is exceptionally close to the number of days in 13 lunar months (29.5306 x 13 = 383.8978), and that maybe the I Ching was originally an ancient Chinese calendar. Further multiples had astronomical significance…

The McKenna brothers arrived at the 2012 end date by using fractals. Starting from a table of differences between one hexagram and the next, they developed a Mandelbrot fractal in which each level is 64 times greater then the one below it. They then laid this fractal pattern on top of a time scale. The peaks and troughs of the pattern relate to the level of connectedness or novelty in any span of time, whether it covers a day, millennia or even since the beginning of time. By matching the levels of the pattern with key periods in history, they determined it would fit best if the end of the time scale was December 22, 2012. This is the only point in which the level of novelty reaches its maximum, and everything that happens is new (Bast R. Survive 2012. http://survive2012.com/why_2012_fractal.php viewed 04/12/08).

So, some believe that December 22, 2012 was long known as the date for the world as we know it to end.

There is also a tradition from India:

It is interesting that this prediction of the emergence of a new world is prophesied to appear about the same time that the Mayans predicted it to come! The Mayan calendar began with the Fifth Great Cycle in 3114 BC and will end on 21 December 2012 AD. The Hindu Kali Yuga calendar began on 18 February 3102 B.C. There is only a difference of 12 years between the Hindu’s beginning of the Kali Yuga and the Mayan’s beginning of the Fifth Great Cycle. It is amazing that both calendars began at about the same time over 5,000 years ago and both calendars predict a totally new world and/or golden age after about 5,000 years into their calendars! We are definitely on to something with these Mayan and Hindu 2012 predictions. Historically, this is an amazing fact since these two ancient cultures did not have any contact…Lord Krishna’s Golden Age could easily begin in 2012! (Hindu Calendar. http://2012wiki.com/index.php?title=Hindu_Calendar viewed 01/14/08).

A source, related to the above India/Hindu comments, also stated:

The Hopi prophecy is an oral tradition of stories that Hopis say predicted the coming of the white man, the world wars and nuclear weapons. And it predicts that time will end when humanity emerges into the “fifth world.” The Mayan calendar predicts a similar end in 2012; some Hopis have said their prophecy roughly coincides with that time. The tradition says the years after 2012 could be a golden age with humans at peace. It also says the world will go through a time of trial, suffering and purification before a time of “one-heartedness” (Hopi Civilization. http://2012wiki.com/index.php?title=Hopi_Civilization viewed 01/14/08).

And although a Robert Bast is the source of many of those written quotes, a program (2012 episode of Decoding the Past) that The History Channel originally aired March 1, 2007, had a variety of sources that basically stated the same things that Robert Bast has written. And one of those was that the end of “the fourth world” in Hopi prophecy is about upon us.

I wish to make it clear that I do not believe that the world will end then or that a God-ordained golden age of peace will happen then either.

I should, add however, that Roman Catholics do believe that an “age of peace” is to arrive and, if the Malachy prophecies have merit (somewhat accurate predictions of all popes from the 12th century to present), there is only one pope listed to come after the current one (Bander, Peter. The Prophecies of St. Malachy. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973). Hence, the end of the predicted line of popes will occur soon. And it is likely that the final pope will come on the scene by 2012-2017.

But as I have stated before, I tend to believe that the great tribulation will occur sometime after 2012 and because 2012 will have had so much attention, when we in the Living Church of God claim that the Great Tribulation is about to begin, most will dismiss us as being less likely important than the Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/I Ching prophecies.

But the end will come whether people believe us or not. Will you be ready?

Two articles of related interest may include:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?

Which Book Do You Think Christians Should Rely On?

vs.
Ronald Weinland Says His Books Are What He Wants Potential Supporters to Closely Study. The COGwriter Site Instead Urges Those Interested in Him and End-Time Prophecies to Spend More Time Checking His Writings with the Bible.

COGwriter

April 17, 2008 is now well past. And although Ronald Weinland claimed that the 1260 days and the first trumpet blast of the Book of Revelation started then, this simply has not been the case.

Ronald Weinland and his followers have repeatedly relied on allegory over scripture and have sometimes confused events that may be related to “the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8) with those that occur later in the great tribulation (Matthew 24:21).

If Ronald Weinland and his followers would have taken the passages in Daniel 9, 11, and 12 more literally, they would have realized that when the events the Bible shows needed to come to pass on the 1335, 1290, and 1260 days of Daniel 12 did not come to pass on February 2nd, March 18th, and April 17th (the dates that Ronald Weinland indicated that those days began respectively, see Ronald Weinland Announced When He Claims Jesus Will Return and RW’s Wife the 2nd Witness? Comparing 4/17/08 and the Bible to “2008 God’s Final Witness”) they would have all repented by now. Instead, those still with him are ignoring the Bible.

Notice what he taught in a sermon given March 29, 2008:

If by Pentecost I’m just going to make this real clear to everyone. If by Pentecost it is not powerfully and abundantly clear that there has been a great deal of destruction that will clearly encompass a third of all plant life in the US and at least the clear results of this mingled with blood the death of very much animal life and the beginning of large numbers of human life then I will stop preaching. Just so all the critics and everyone out there will understand. I am true to my word in these things. OK? And for all the critics if by the end of July and for most likely around Pentecost if nothing has clearly caused great destruction and death I will make it very clear that I was a false prophet. I will do exactly what I said I would do on all of those interviews that I have held; to do less, aah well, would be quite insane. To do less. Well. Would be quite insane (Weinland R. Three More Weeks–quote from near the 1 hour 28 minute point from the CGPFK website version. Sermon given March 29, 2008).

Since Pentecost in 2008 is June 8th, by mid-June Ronald Weinland has to stop preaching according to his own words. And by mid-July 2008 apologize and admit his error (there is a rumor that some of his followers will continue with others leading CGPFK, and that may be possible–furthermore, in his 4/26/08 sermon, see Ronald Weinland Changes and Delays, But Without Apology, he seems to contradict what he said in the 3/29/08 sermon–so when or whether he will step down is uncertain as his positions have changed).

Also Ronald Weinland, this time in an interview on April 10, 2008 (see Ronald Weinland: False Prophet by Mid-June), gave himself until mid-June 2008 to be a true or false prophet (see also Ronald Weinland Seems to Give Himself More Time, But Done By Labor Day), yet the fact is that now that it is May 2008 shows he is clearly a false prophet.

How?

Well, although there are many reasons (see for example Ronald Weinland: Nothing Happened March 18th Because What Happened Was Spiritual? and February 2008 is Past Ronald Weinland), one is that the dollar still has value.

Notice what Ronald Weinland claimed in a radio interview on December 15, 2007:

A little after April…a dollar bill won’t be worth anything…We’re going to be brought down the tubes, very quickly, starting in April…What happens when a nuclear weapon goes off in New York and Chicago?… If we come to the point in time where what I’ve said doesn’t come to pass, the reality is that I’m just a false prophet. That’s the bottom line… The reality is if it doesn’t happen, then you’re just false…I’ll acknowledge my error, my wrong, if I’m wrong…

It is now “a little past April”, the dollar still has value, and the great tribulation, simply did not begin. Furthermore, notice what he wrote on November 24, 2007:

Beginning in February, those thunders will increase dramatically, and by April this world will begin to be shaken to its foundations. Everything I am doing, and everything the Church of God - PKG is doing is geared towards these realities. There is no wavering and there is no hesitation!… February will be here soon! Don’t squander the time that is in front of you. Use it wisely!

I tried to use February 2008 “wisely” and without “wavering” or ”hesitation” as he advised, and posted several news items warning people not to follow him.

Notice two specific claims that Ronald Weinland made in April 2008:

…that has to do with the Catholic Church…He is going to be saying…He is going to be given special powers beginning April 17th when he is in Washington. D.C. (James Whale Interview. talkSPORT Radio. April 10, 2008).

And the 17th marked the identifying and the beginning of Satan’s direct power and influence of a great false prophet, the Pope of the Roman Catholic church (Weinland R. Begun–the 1260 Days Have Begun. Sermon April 19, 2008).

I, for one, have not noticed any “special powers” that Pope Benedict XVI supposedly received three weeks ago. Thus, another prediction from Ronald Weinland has not been fulfilled.

Ronald Weinland simply does not understand biblical prophecy, such as Daniel 11 which discusses future kings of the North and South. And as I have been warning people for a long time, partially because there is no King of the North or King of the South yet, the Great Tribulation CANNOT begin in 2008.

Furthermore, if Ronald Weinland understood, Daniel 9:26-27, he would see that the Great Tribulation cannot begin before 2012 as the “prince” (who will become the King of the North), has not yet made a deal with Israel–a deal that he will break after 3 1/2 years. If this deal is not made until after June 30, 2008 (and I do not believe that it can be made before the Fall of 2008, and a later year is more likely), then the Great Tribulation will not begin before 2012. And while the end is coming, Ronald Weinland and his followers seem to be a least 4-5 years premature.

Furthermore, as I wrote last month, Ronald Weinland immediately should do the following:

1. Apologize to leaders of various Churches of God to whom he sent letters warning them of their impending deaths about two years ago.
2. Apologize to his followers for misleading them.
3. Go back on the few radio programs he was on and apologize for his presumptuousness for appointing himself as a prophet and one of God’s two witnesses.
4. Apologize to me (and now others) for the disdain whereby he treated me two years ago, and how he has treated those that pointed out why he was wrong ever since. Calling for our slow deaths was also not nice (see Ronald Weinland Again Calls for Death).
5. Give me, Bob Thiel, the www.the-end.com URL since he misused it, while the cogwriter website has been properly explaining end-time events during the time he has been around.
6. Shut down the Church of God, Preparing for the Kingdom organization so that it cannot continue. There are rumors that some wish to keep it going even AFTER Ronald Weinland’s latest dates prove to be false.
7. Spend a lot of time communicating with people he has misled to attempt to help them understand that he was wrong and that they should have relied much more on the Bible and not on his false interpretations of biblical prophecy.

And whatever else he and his wife can think of to try to minimize the damage that they have caused others and the Church of God.

It’s been three weeks since Ronald Weinland claimed that God began his and his wife’s 1260 day job as the two witnesses–but they have not been effective witnesses as they STILL are being basically ignored by the world (they have mostly had fringe coverage or none at all).

Nor are they close to converting millions like he indicated that they should be (for more details, see Ronald Weinland Prophesied Millions & Is Spending to Accomplish That) by now. Nor have they done any of the biblically indicated miracles that the two witnesses should be able to do (see Revelation 11:3-6).

Ronald Weinland has always been a SELF-appointed prophet. He is not one of God’s prophets, nor are he and his wife the prophesied two witnesses.

A few articles of possibly related interest may include:

Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God Ronald Weinland falsely claims to be one of the two witnesses God is raising up and that the end will come in 2008. Is he a false prophet? He has at least one other view that suggests that he is not part of the COG.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples ofthe United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here?
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.

“Orthodox” 16th Century Representation of the “Apocalypse”

COGwriter

While many Protestants and others believe that the final Antichrist will be a pope, it seems that certain Catholic writings support the idea that a final (or nearly final) pope will be ecumenical, be an antipope, and be the “false prophet” and/or the final Antichrist.

Furthermore, it appears that many Catholic prophesies suggests that it is an antipope that supports a new religious order:

Oba Prophecy. “It will come when the Church authorities issue directives to support a new cult, when priests are forbidden to celebrate in any other, when the highest positions in the Church are given to perjurers and hypocrites, when only the renegades are admitted to occupy those positions (Dupont Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 115).

Anna-Katarina Emmerick (19th century). “I saw again a new and odd-looking Church which they were trying to build. There was nothing holy about it…(Dupont, p. 116).

Yves Dupont (writer interpreting A. Emmerick), “They wanted to make a new Church, a Church of human manufacture, but God had other designs…An anti-pope shall be set up in Rome” (Dupont, p. 116).

The Prophecy of Premol (5th century) “…And I see the King of Rome and his Cross and his tiara, shaking the dust off of his shoes, and hastening his flight to other shores. Thy Church, O Lord, is torn apart by her own children. One camp is faithful to the fleeing Pontiff, the other is subject to the new government of Rome which has broken the tiara. But Almighty God will, in His mercy, put an end to this confusion and a new age will begin. Then, said the Spirit, this is the beginning of the End of Time.”

Comment: From this prophecy, it is clear that the true Church will be faithful to the Pope in exile; whereas the new Pope in Rome will be, in fact, an anti-pope…a large number of Catholics will be misled into accepting the leadership of the anti-pope. (Dupont, pp. 72-73). {Note the comment is from Dupont personally}.

Jeanne le Royer (d. 1978) I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches a bad priest will do much harm to the Church (Culligan, E. The Last World War and the End of Time. The book was blessed by Pope Paul VI, 1966. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 128).

Yves Dupont {reader and collector of Catholic prophecies} “prophecies are quite explicit about the election of an anti-pope…Many prophecies predict an anti-pope and a schism” (Dupont, pp. 34,60-61).

Catholic priest and writer R. Gerald Culleton: “A schism of short duration is destined to break out…An antipope, of German origin, is to be set up, and finally Rome itself will be destroyed” (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Prophets and Our Times. Nihil Obstat: L. Arvin. Imprimatur: Philip G. Scher, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno, November 15, 1941. Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 42).

Frederick William Faber (died 1863)…Antichrist…Many believe in a demonical incarnation–this will not be so–but he will be utterly possessed…His doctrine as apparent contradiction of no religion, yet a new religion…He has an attending pontiff, so separating regal and prophetic office (Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 87).

Blessed Joachim (died 1202): “Towards the end of the world Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and usurp his See” (Connor, p. 76).

Merlin (7th century) “There will come a German Anti-Pope. Italy and Germany will be sorely troubled. A French King will restore the true Pope” (Culleton, p. 132).

St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226) “There will be an uncanonically elected pope who will cause a great Schism, there will be divers thoughts preached which will cause many, even those in the different orders, to doubt, yea even agree with those heretics which will cause My order to divide, then will there be such universal dissensions and persecutions that if these days were not shortened even the elect would be lost” (Culleton, p. 130).

Catholic writer and priest P. Huchedé (19th century): “…the false prophet…will not be a king, nor a general of an army, but a clever apostate, fallen from episcopal dignity. From being an apostle of the Gospel he will become the first preacher of the false messiah…” (Huchedé, P. Translated by JBD. History of Antichrist. Imprimatur Edward Charles Fabre, Bishop of Montreal. English edition 1884, Reprint 1976. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 24).

Priest Herman Kramer This false prophet possibly at the behest of Antichrist usurps the papal supremacy…His assumed spiritual authority and supremacy over the Church would make him resemble the Bishop of Rome…He would be Pontifex Maximus, a title of pagan emperors, having spiritual and temporal authority. Assuming authority without having it makes him the False Prophet…Though he poses as a lamb, his doctrines betray him (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny. Nihil Obstat: J.S. Considine, O.P., Censor Deputatus. Imprimatur: +Joseph M. Mueller, Bishop of Sioux City, Iowa, January 26, 1956. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), p. 319).

St. Francis de Paul (1470)… “The time is coming when the Divine Majesty will visit the world with a new religious order of the holy Cross-bearers… This shall be the last religious order in the Church, and will do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutions. By force of arms he shall take possession of a great kingdom. He shall destroy the sect of Mahomet, extirpate all tyrants and heresies. He will bring the world to a holy mode of life. There will be one fold and one Shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time…”(Culleton, pp. 160-162).

Comments from writer D.A. Birch on the above from his book “Francis…speaks in a series of letters to Simeon de Limena, Count of Montalto in great detail of a future Great Monarch who will be a Roman Emperor. Limena was a great patron of St. Francis’ order and also a great military protector of the Church…He is described as founding a new religious order. To the reader this may sound like he also become a priest. That is not the case. What happens is that he founds a religious order, part of which contains military men who take religious vows. He will be the head of the military arm of this order. In this sense it will be like the Knights Templar of the Middle Ages” (Birch, DA. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before During and After Antichrist. Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta (CA), 1996, pp. 267-270).

D. Birch (commenting further in his book), “Many of the prophecies speak of the fact that the Great King at first will not be well-liked, especially by the French clergy” (Birch, p. 276).

Laurence Ricci, S.J. (died 1775) “… At a time when the whole world seems doomed, God will intervene. With His aide a valiant duke will arise from the ancient German house which was humiliated by the French monarch. This great ruler will restore stolen Church property. Protestantism will cease and the Turkish empire will end. This duke will be the most powerful monarch on earth. At a gathering of men noted for piety and wisdom he will, with the aid of the Pope, introduce new rules, and ban the spirit of confusion. Everywhere there will be one fold and one shepherd” (Connor, p.37).

Notice that Francis de Paul prophesied that there will be a new essentially Roman Catholic religious order that will do more good for the Roman Catholic Church than all other religious institutions as it will eliminate nearly all opposition. (This is because the King of the North will successfully work with the Pope to make the world nominally Catholic.) However, notice that some of the Catholic clergy will at first oppose this new order, these changes to Catholicism, but that the (probably final) pope will embrace them.

Hence the idea of someone claiming to be a Roman pope, yet possibly being the final Antichrist is supported by several Catholic writings.

Thus while some Catholic prophecies praise a new religious order, others indicate that a new type of Catholicism will not be true to some of its beliefs. Furthermore, it needs to be understood that the Great Monarch would seem to be the same person as the ten-horned Beast (also known as 666). Thus, there are Catholic prophecies that support the idea that a Pope/anti-pope will accept changes that a new European military leader will implement. In addition, since most Protestants have no knowledge of Catholic prophecies, they do not grasp the danger of the “ecumenical” plans of the Roman Church. Because after all is said and done, the one we in the Living Church of God would consider to be the ten-horned Beast (also known as 666 and the King of the North), will, according to Catholic prophecy, eliminate Protestantism:

Father Laurence Ricci, S.J. (died 1775): “After the rule of Napoleon a time will come when the people will become poor and the world will be punished in three ways: wars, famines, and pestilences. At a time when the whole world seems doomed, God will intervene. With His aide a valiant duke will arise from the ancient German house which was humiliated by the French monarch. This great ruler will restore stolen Church property. Protestantism will cease and the Turkish empire will end. This duke will be the most powerful monarch on earth. At a gathering of men noted for piety and wisdom he will, with the aid of the Pope, introduce new rules, and ban the spirit of confusion. Everywhere there will be one fold and one shepherd” (Connor, p.37).

St. Francis of Paola (Born in Italy, 15th century). “By the grace of the Almighty, the Great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers” (Dupont, p.38).

Why? Because Catholics have long considered Protestantism, and all non-Greco-Roman Catholicism as false. Notice what one priest reported:

Pope St. Pius V teaches in his Catechism, the Roman Catechism — also known as the Catechism of the Council of Trent — that all of the Protestant religions are false religions, they’re inspired by the devil; and therefore their fruits are evil…The Protestant religions, as such, are inspired by the devil, as Pope St. Pius V teaches in his catechism (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004. THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/15/08).

Notice what some Catholics have written about their “ecumenical plans”:

D.A. Birch “The Pope calls an Ecumenical Council which will be viewed as the greatest in the history of the Church. The world is spiritually and materially prosperous as never before and many Jews, Mohammedans, heathens and heretics will enter the Church” (Birch, p. 555).

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany) …God will bind Satan for a number of years until the days of the Son of Perdition…there will be an ecumenical council which will be the greatest of all councils. By the grace of God, by the power of the Great Monarch, and by the authority of the Holy Pontiff, and by the union of the most devout princes, atheism and every heresy will be banished from the earth. The Council will define the true sense of Holy Scripture, and this will be believed and accepted by everyone (Dupont, p. 40).

Priest Herman Kramer “The thunders may mean the dogmatic declarations of the Church against infidels expressed in an ecumenical council…such as that of…the Infallibility of the Pope…The Seven Thunders may then be declarations of an ecumenical council clearing up all that was left unfinished by the magisterial office of the Church, before God will permit Satan to exert his supreme efforts to destroy her from without. The Seven Thunders will strengthen the faithful and loyal clergy”…(Kramer H., pp. 241-242).

Priest Paul Kramer “The errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced by that false church, it will be an ecumenical church because the Anti-Pope will be recognized by the world — not by the faithful, but by the world — by the secular world and the secular governments. The Anti-Pope will be recognized as the legitimate Pope of the “church,” and the legitimate head of the Vatican State. That “church” will be united with all the false religions. They will be united together under the universality of the Masonic umbrella. In that motley ecumenical union will be the established religion of the so-called civilized world. This is how we will get into the time of great persecution such as the world has never seen (Kramer P. The Imminent Chastisement for Not Fulfilling Our Lady’s Request. An edited transcript of a speech given at the Ambassadors of Jesus and Mary Seminar in Glendale, California, September 24, 2004. THE FATIMA CRUSADER Issue 80, Summer 2005, pp. 32-45 http://www.fatimacrusader.com/cr80/cr80pg32.asp viewed 4/06/08).

Hence some Catholics are looking to a time that an ecumenical pontiff will appear. Some (like the first quotations above) are looking forward to that, while others (like the last quotation above) consider that this will be a sign of an Anti-pope. Notice that the last quote indicates that some of the “errors of Orthodoxy and of Protestantism will be embraced”, yet this will be a church ruled by some type of a Pope. That is where all of these “ecumenical discussions” are going to lead to as far as Catholic prophecies are concerned. The current Pope (Benedict XVI) has been working for ecumenical unity and is apparently setting the way for a more ecumenical pontiff to arise (for information, see the news items Pope Benedict XVI to Have “Ecumenical” USA Trip and Pope Trying to Appease the Orthodox and the Lutherans).

On a somewhat related note, the Pope who works with and/or precedes the Great Monarch is specifically prophesied to rule over the Eastern Orthodox Church as well—and re-establish Babylon! Notice the following:

Abbott Joachim (died 1202)…A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne, under special protection of the angels. Holy and full of gentleness, he shall undo all wrong, he shall recover the states of the Church, and reunite the exiled temporal powers. As the only Pastor, he shall reunite the Eastern to the Western Church…This holy Pope shall be both pastor and reformer. Through him the East and West shall be in ever lasting concord. The city of Babylon shall then be the head and guide of the world. Rome, weakened in temporal power, shall forever preserve her spiritual dominion, and shall enjoy great peace…At the beginning, in order to bring these happy results, having need of a powerful assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the cooperation of the generous monarch of France (Great Monarch)… A man of remarkable sanctity will be his successor in the Pontifical chair. Through him God will work so many prodigies that all men shall revere him (Connor, pp. 31-33).

“Prodigies” means miracles.

Interestingly, the Roman Catholics do realize that the expression, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!” (Revelation 18:2) is referring to Rome. And the Bible says this happens after the Antichrist comes. It needs to be understood that although the above quote is in a book with an Imprimatur (high level Roman Catholic approval), some Roman Catholics have somewhat distanced themselves from some of Abott Joachim’s writings (i.e. Birch, pp. 143,235, but other Roman Catholics writings tend to support the Abbott’s writings, but I do not recall seeing others that support “Babylon” as the head of the world).

Perhaps it might be helpful to note that while the Bible shows that the Beast and the False Prophet perform miracles (Revelation 16:13-14), Catholic prophecies indicate that one of the popes also does miracles:

Bl. Anna-Maria Taigi (19th century)…. “After the three days of darkness, St. Peter and St. Paul, having come down from Heaven, will preach in the whole world and designate a new Pope. A great light will flash from their bodies and will settle upon the cardinal who is to become Pope. Christianity, then, will spread throughout the world. He is the Holy Pontiff, chosen by God to withstand the storm. At the end, he will have the gift of miracles, and his name shall be praised over the whole earth (Dupont, p.45).

The following suggest that the Great Monarch may also perform some type of miracles:

Abbe Souffrand (died 1828): “The Great Ruler will perform such great and noble deeds that the infidels will be forced to admit the working of God’s Providence. Under this reign the greatest righteousness will be practiced and the earth will bear in overabundance…”(Connor, p. 37)

St. Thomas a’Becket (12th Century)…”A knight shall come from the West. He shall capture Milan, Lombardy, and the three Crowns. He shall then sail to Cyprus and Famagoste and land at Jaffa, and reach Christ’s grave where he will fight. Wars and wonders shall befall till the people believe in Christ toward the end of the world” (Birch, p. 255).

The parallels to the ten-horned Beast and the False Prophet are undeniable. And because of the wars, economic pressure, and wonders, many will be deceived into accepting the religion of the Beast and the False Prophet (Revelation 13). Sadly, also including many Protestants.

And part of this is because Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and most Protestants simply do not realize that true Christianity was from the beginning, and will be until the end of the Church era, opposed to participation in carnal warfare (Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?). Because nearly all who profess Christ do not really understand what happened to the true Church in the second through fourth centuries (and beyond), their foundation is on sand and thus their combined house shall fall greatly (c.f. Matthew 7:26-27).

Articles of related interest may include:

Some Doctrines of Antichrist Are there any doctrines taught outside the Churches of God which can be considered as doctrines of antichrist? This article suggests at least three. It also provides information on 666 and the identity of “the false prophet”. Plus it shows that several Catholic writers seem to warn about an ecumenical antipope that will support heresy.
Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? Will the final “Anti-Christ” be Jewish, insist on Saturday, be opposed to the trinity, and bring in the millennium? Catholic writings indicate this, but what does the Bible show?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
The Antichrist Quiz Do you really know much about the Antichrist?
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?
Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.

Hurricane Gordon Hit the Azores and Western Europe in 2006

COGwriter

The following item was in the news this morning:

Deadly Cyclone Pummels Myanmar

By Aung Hla Tun, Reuters

Posted: 2008-05-04 09:00:05

YANGON (May 4) More than 200 people have been killed in military-ruled Myanmar by a Category 3 cyclone that ripped through Yangon and the Irrawaddy delta, where it flattened two towns, officials and state media said on Sunday.

Packing winds of 190 km (120 miles) per hour when it hit on Saturday morning, Cyclone Nargis devastated the former Burma’s leafy main city, littering the streets with overturned cars, fallen trees and debris from battered buildings.

“Utter war zone,” one Yangon-based diplomat said in an email to Reuters in Bangkok. “Trees across all streets. Utility poles down. Hospitals devastated. Clean water scarce.”

“We believe hundreds of people are dead,” said Khin Maung Win with the Democratic Voice of Burma — a broadcast media group run by opposition expatriates.

A government official in Naypyidaw, the ruling general’s new capital 240 miles to the north, said the latest death toll was more than 200…

“I have never seen anything like it,” one retired government worker told Reuters. “It reminded me of when Hurricane Katrina hit the United States.”

Although the sun was shining by Sunday morning, the former capital was without power and water, and food prices had doubled, with many storeholders unsure of when they would be able to replenish stocks. Most shops had sold out of candles.

An Electricity Board official said it was impossible to know when the power supply — hit-and-miss at the best of times in one of Asia’s poorest countries — would be restored.

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/deadly-cyclone-pummels-myanmar/20080504064309990001?icid=1616058736×1201521535x1200303519

The Living Church of God has at least two congregations in Myanmar (formerly known as Burma).  Even without weather problems, those in Myanmar always need our prayers.

Also notice this news item:

Severe weather continues

05/04/2008

It continues to be a terrible spring for tornadoes, as severe weather outbreaks last week grabbed headlines.

We started the week with tornadoes cutting a 25-mile path of destruction through southern Virginia. Luckily, nobody was killed, but more than 200 people were injured.

We unfortunately ended the week on the opposite end, as seven people died as storms associated with the same cold front that passed through our area ripped through Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas.

A month ago, I discussed this topic, talking about how we’d already had 70 deaths and more than 500 tornadoes this year. As of today, we are at 731 preliminary tornado reports. They are responsible for 76 deaths, just five short of the total deaths for all of 2007.

The 10-year average for tornado reports is 1270 per year. We aren’t halfway through this year and we are already on pace to beat that by September. We now are over 6800 reports of severe weather for 2008, including tornadoes, hail and winds gusts over 58 mph.

http://www.thetimes-tribune.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19659533&BRD=2185&PAG=461&dept_id=416046&rfi=6

Severe weather problems not only can be personally devastating, they can cause food supply disruptions and even famines.  Even CENTRAL Europe had deaths this year related to a hurricane (for details, please see the news item Hurricane Causes Deaths in Central Europe).

LCG has long had a booklet of possibly related interest titled “Who Controls the Weather? ” that is available for those interested in more on the weather and Bible prophecy.

On a possibly related note, there have been increases in earthquakes with the infamous New Madrid fault in the Mid-West of the USA showing signs of activity–as well as the many earthquakes we are having in California (there was notable one centered about 40 miles from where I am writing this from a couple of days ago).

Of course we are not to be alarmed by these occurrences, as even more intense problems are foretold.  Notice what Jesus taught:

11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven… 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 By your patience possess your souls. 20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near (Luke 21:11,18-20).

But since we do not yet see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, there still is time before the start of the tribulation–I do not believe that the great tribulation can begin before 2012, with a year or so later more likely.

But it seems that weather problems are increasing and that the end is getting closer.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?
There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra This article discusses a biblical ‘place of safety’ and includes quotes from the Bible and Herbert W. Armstrong on this subject–thus, there is a biblically supported alternative to the rapture theory.
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?

COGwriter

The following news item suggest support for a 2013 beginning of the Great Tribulation:

A minister who promotes the Old Testament roots of Christianity suggests a rare string of lunar and solar eclipses said to fall on God’s annual holy days seven years from now could herald what’s come to be known as the “Second Coming” of Jesus.

“God wants us to look at the biblical calendar,” says Mark Biltz, pastor of El Shaddai Ministries in Bonney Lake, Wash. “The reason we need to be watching is [because] He will signal His appearance. But we have to know what to be watching as well. So we need to be watching the biblical holidays.”

In a video interview on the Prophecy in the News website, Biltz said he’s been studying prophecies that focus on the sun and moon, even going back to the book of Genesis where it states the lights in the sky would be “be for signs, and for seasons.”

“It means a signal, kind of like ‘one if by land, two if by sea.’ It’s like God wants to signal us,” he said. “The Hebrew word implies … not only is it a signal, but it’s a signal for coming.

Biltz adds the word “seasons” implies appointed times for God’s feasts and festivals.

“When we hear the word feast, we think food. But the Hebrew word has nothing to do with food. It has to do with a divine appointment, as if God has a day timer, and He says, ‘OK, I’m gonna mark the day and the time when I’m going to signal My appearance.’”

In the Old Testament, the prophet Joel states, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.” (Joel 2:31)

In the New Testament, Jesus is quoted as saying, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light … And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Matthew 24:29-30)

Gary Stearman of Prophecy in the News noted, “When we think of the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light, we usually think of some astronomical catastrophe – perhaps the sun sputtering and the moon being affected by all this. But maybe it’s time to rethink this a little bit and think of it as a natural cycle, the cycle of the eclipses.”

Thus, Biltz began focusing on the precise times of both solar and lunar eclipses, sometimes called “blood moons” since the moon often takes on a bloody color. He logged onto NASA’s eclipse website which provides precision tracking of the celestial events.

He noted a rare phenomenon of four consecutive total lunar eclipses, known as a tetrad.

He says during this century, tetrads occur at least six times, but what’s interesting is that the only string of four consecutive blood moons that coincide with God’s holy days of Passover in the spring and the autumn’s Feast of Tabernacles (also called Succoth) occurs between 2014 and 2015 on today’s Gregorian calendar.

“The fact that it doesn’t happen again in this century I think is very significant,” Biltz explains. “So then I looked at last century, and, believe it or not, the last time that four blood red moons occurred together was in 1967 and 1968 tied to Jerusalem recaptured by Israel.”

He then started to notice a pattern of the tetrads.

“What’s significant to me is that even before 1967, the next time that you had four blood red moons again was right after Israel became a nation in ‘48, it happened again in 1949 and 1950 … on Passover and Succoth. You didn’t have any astronomical tetrads in the 1800s, the 1700s, the 1600s. In the 1500s, there were six, but none of those fell on Passover and Succoth.”

When checking the schedule for solar eclipses, Biltz found two – one on the first day of the Hebrew year and the next on the high holy day of Rosh Hashanah, the first day of the seventh Hebrew month. Both of these take place in the 2014-2015 year.

Biltz says, “You have the religious year beginning with the total solar eclipse, two weeks later a total lunar eclipse on Passover, and then the civil year beginning with the solar eclipse followed two weeks later by another total blood red moon on the Feast of Succoth all in 2015.”

“If you think that this is a coincidence, I want you to know that it’s time!” exclaimed Prophecy in the News host J.R. Church. “There are no more of these for the rest of the century.”

The prospect of eclipses pinpointing the time of Jesus’ return is getting mixed reaction in Christian circles…

“When He (Jesus) says you won’t know the day or the hour, He’s telling you it’s the Feast of Trumpets because that was known as the feast where no one knew the day or the hour that it would begin,” said Biltz…

Church stressed despite the information suggesting 2015 could be a pivotal time, “We don’t know that that will be the concluding year of the tribulation period … so we’re not setting a date and saying this is a warning. We’re introducing the possibility of a watch.” (Blood moon eclipses: 2nd Coming in 2015? Minister uses NASA forecasting to study signals of Jesus’ return WorldNetDaily - April 30, 2008. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=63076).

If for some reason, a red moon occurs near the Feast of Trumpets for 2015 (which seems odd as the Feast of Trumpets itself starts with a new moon–but maybe somehow this is possible based upon light reflections), then this could be quite interesting.

The Book of Revelation teaches the following:

12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:12-17).

So while Jesus would not return with a red moon, notice that the red moon appears just before the Day of the Lord begins–possibly the evening before.

So if God is intending to use natural phenomena (as opposed to performing a specific and separate miracle, which He certainly could do), then since it is most likely that the Day of the Lord begins on the Feast of Trumpets (as the seven trumpets begin the Day of the Lord, per Revelation 8:2), then the Great Tribulation would begin about 2 1/2 years prior to that.

Notice what NASA has shown:

When four consecutive lunar eclipses are all total eclipses, the group is known as a tetrad. The following tetrads occur during this century:

Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2003 - 2004
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2014 - 2015
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2032 - 2033
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2043 - 2044
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2050 - 2051
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2061 - 2062
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2072 - 2073
Tetrad (Four Consecutive Total Eclipses): 2090 - 2091 (http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/LEcat/LE2001-2100.html viewed 5/01/08)

Thus, while there are other dates in the 21st century (hence many claims in Prophecy in the News were in error), if the red moon of Revelation 6 is a red moon that somehow appears on Rosh Hoshana in 2015, then the Great Tribulation would be expected to begin around the Spring of 2013.

Why 2013?

Well according to the Bible, the tribulation and the Day of the Lord seem to be for “a time, times, and half a time” (c.f. Daniel 9:27;12:7; Revelation 12:14-17). Nearly all biblical scholars believe that this equals three and 1/2 years.

And also according to the Bible, the Day of the Lord lasts for one year. Notice:

For it is the day of the LORD’s vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion (Isaiah 34:8).

Hence, if the combined time of the tribulation and the Day of the Lord were to end near the Fall of 2016, the Day of the Lord would begin in 2015 (consistent with the claimed tetrad moon that Prophecy in the News mentioned), the Great Tribulation would begin two and one half years earlier. Which brings us near the Spring of 2013.

And while the starting point of that calculation is speculative (as I do not know if God will display blood moon near the Fall of 2015 to fulfill Revelation 6:12 or not), it is interesting that 2013 is pointed to as a possible start date–and that there is not tetrad for nearly two more decades (though there are red moons without the tetrad–hence another date is naturally possible–plus I think that Prophecy in the News is wrong about a “natural” red moon appearing on Trumpets in 2015).

But even if this tetrad red moon discussion that Prophecy in the News brought up is wrong and of no direct relevance, I have been speculating for some time that 2013 is a possible date for the start of the Great Tribulation.

Two articles of possibly related interest may include:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?

“Orthodox” 16th Century Representation of the “Apocalypse”

COGwriter

In his online commentary, CEM’s Ronald Dart posted:

One of the greatest errors a man can ever make is to misinterpret God’s silence. Evil men and seducers, said Paul, will wax worse and worse, and God says nothing, and appears to do nothing. And that category of men the Bible characterizes as “the wicked” assumes that there is no God, or that he doesn’t care, or doesn’t notice—or even that God thinks like they do. But there is a day of reckoning:

When you see a thief, you join with him; you throw in your lot with adulterers. You use your mouth for evil and harness your tongue to deceit. You speak continually against your brother and slander your own mother’s son. These things you have done and I kept silent; you thought I was altogether like you. But I will rebuke you and accuse you to your face. Consider this, you who forget God, or I will tear you to pieces, with none to rescue (Psalms 50:18-22 NIV).

And that is true.

Many act like there is no God or are misled by those who claim to represent Him (Ronald Weinland comes to mind–see Concerns About Ronald Weinland’s Church of God-Preparing for the Kingdom of God; also the “True Bible Code” as their prophecy for last weekend did not come to pass, see news item Europe to Launch Satellite for Galileo, But More False Witnesses).

But despite false witnesses and those who ignore God, the end will come.

Those interested in seeing when that “day of reckoning” may be coming, should consider prayerfully studying the following articles:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? When does the six thousand years of human rule end?

Flag of the European Union

COGwriter

The following news item was of interest:

Europe to Begin Construction of Satellite Navigation System

With EU approval for a new bidding process, Europe’s much-touted — and much delayed — Galileo, a Brussels-controlled competitor to the US’s GPS system, looks set for orbit. One satellite is being launched this weekend and the system is expected to go online by 2013.

Spiegel - April 24, 2008

After a debacle that saw leading companies in European industry withdraw their planned investment over fears of cost overruns, the European Union’s much-vaunted Galileo satellite navigation project appears to be getting a second lease of life.

The European Parliament this week approved a plan to put the constuction of the satellite network, which will compete with the United States’ GPS system, out to tender. With no private industry investors on board, the project will now be paid for using €3.4 billion ($5.35 billion) in public funds through 2013.

Following Wednesday’s vote, the final political hurdle has been cleared for Galileo…

EADS’ Germany-based space services subsdiary, EADS Astrium, has already been involved in the construction of the GIOVE-B Galileo test satellite that is expected to be launched into orbit from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan on Sunday. GIOVE-B is the second of three test satellites being sent into orbit before the launch of the larger Galileo project…

Once in operation, Galileo is expected to deliver highly accurate geographical positioning data that can be used by cars and other transportation, by police and justice officials, customs, construction or even in emergency and rescue services. The German government has said it would prefer to use Galileo for civilian purposes, but other countries, including France, say they want it for their militaries...http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,549401,00.html

As I have been writing for quite a long while, I believe that Europe probably needs to have its own GPS-type system before the Great Tribulation begins.

However, there does not seem to be a shortage of self-appointed false prophets and false witnesses saying that the Great Tribulation has began (or will begin) in 2008.  Notice the following soon to be proven false prophecy:

The Lords’ Witnesses, the True Bible Code, End Time Chronology

Cute, but wrong, until we are right inspite of ourselves! - Michael Schwingenschloegl and Francis Conger
The Kingdom of God has started. Jesus has married his bride, the 1NC saints in heaven. - Gordon Ritchie

We now expect a dual terrorist attack in the US and the UK on 2008Iyyar19 or 2008Iyyar21, i.e. between the sunsets of April25/26 or April27/28. This is the fulfilment of the stone of Daniel2 hitting the image and of mushroom the cloud of 1Kings18 rising from the sea. We have got this wrong so far around 70x. This is the first birth pang of the Kingdom of God, so it should not be large attack by biblical standards, since the first birth pang is the smallest.  But it will be scary and significant and so may be radiological. This attack starts the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24.

Invitation to the Evening Meal of the Lamb’s Marriage and the Festival of Cakes

Jesus, the lamb of God, is now married. So the late passover this year, on 2008Iyyar14, is the evening meal of the lamb’s marriage. The Lords’ Witnesses are the only church that knows how to celebrate this seminal event properly (http://www.truebiblecode.com/ viewed 4/24/08).

I cannot believe people like this are serious, but whether they are or not, people need to READ their Bibles and realize that the END CANNOT COME in 2008 (and that groups like the Living Church of God do know how and when to observe Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread, which they called “the Festival of Cakes”).

Perhaps, I should also add, that like CGPFK’s Ronald Weinland who seems to pushed his dates out further, I was told that this “True Bible Code” page predicted 17th to 21st April as the possible nuclear attack on USA and UK until early yesterday–and that it has made other inaccurate date predictions prior to that date (of course, if they predict it for every possible date in the future, at some point they may get it right ).

While terrorist events can, and sometimes will, happen, the Great Tribulation has not started and will not start this weekend.  What the Bible shows MUST happen has NOT happened yet.

Some articles of related interest may include:

Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin?  What MUST happen BEFORE the Great Tribulation?
End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? There is a Mayan calendar prediction for change in 2012. 2012 changes were also centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans and the Hindu Indians (who were not even on the same continent). Do these Mayan/Hindu/Hopi prophecies have any value? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012?
Two Horned Beast of Revelation and 666 This article explains how the LCG views this, and compares this to Ellen White.
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”?
Persecutions by Church and State This article documents some that have occurred against those associated with the COGs and some prophesied to occur.
Why Be Concerned About False and Heretical Leaders? There have been many false leaders–here is some of why you should be concerned about them.
Is There A Future King of the South? Some no longer believe there needs to be. Might Egypt, Islam, Iran, Arabs, or Ethiopia be involved? What does the Bible say?

Rice (Oryza sativa)

COGwriter

For quite some time, I have been explaining why the Great Tribulation will not begin this year (see Great Tribulation Will Not Begin in 2008).

However, as I have also commented, we may be near the time that Jesus referred to as the “beginning of sorrows”.

Now, in what seems to be an unprecedented move, rice is effectively being rationed by two large USA retailers:

Sam’s Club, Costco Limit Rice Sales

AP

Posted: 2008-04-24 08:20:40

The two biggest U.S. warehouse retail chains are limiting how much rice customers can buy because of what Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., called on Wednesday “recent supply and demand trends.”

This is in addition to moves by several governments throughout the world. There have even been reports that the USA government may get involved.

The broader chain of Wal-Mart stores has no plans to limit food purchases.

The move comes as U.S. rice futures hit a record high amid global food inflation, although one rice expert said the warehouse chains may be reacting less to any shortages than to stockpiling by restaurants and small stores.

Sam’s Club followed Seattle-based Costco Wholesale Corp., which put limits in at least some stores on bulk rice purchases.

Sam’s Club declined to say if this is first time it has restricted sales of bulk foods. The limits affect 20-pound bags, not retail-sized portions. Costco could not immediately be reached for comment on its limits or whether they are the first ever. http://money.aol.com/news/articles/shopping/_a/sams-club-costco-limit-rice-sales/20080423163209990001

In the Book of Matthew, Jesus taught:

And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:7-8).

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:21).