Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies?

By COGwriter

Do you know much about end-time prophecy? Do you know what the Bible teaches? Do you know what Roman Catholics teach? Do you know that the Bible shows that false prophets will arise and that nearly everyone on the Earth will be deceived?

This article will discuss the Bible, Roman Catholic understanding of private prophecies, selected prophecies generally accepted by the Roman Catholic Church, some fulfilled Roman Catholic prophecies, some Roman Catholic prophecies that might be fulfilled, some Roman Catholic prophecies that were not fulfilled, some Roman Catholic prophecies that are certain to be fulfilled (though not quite as many understand), and some understanding of biblical prophecy by the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God (as represented by the Continuing Church of God, CCOG).

This paper will be divided into sections of generally related items. Some items could be placed into more than one category. This article contains one of the most comprehensive collections of end-time Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies from multiple writers anywhere on the internet showing how they often "mirror" Bible prophecies as many are the reverse image (while some support the Bible).

Many of the "prophecies" in this article are translations (almost always by Roman Catholics) and hence may not always precisely convey what the "prophet" intended. And in some cases, those listed as the supplier of the "prophecies" may have received or acknowledged receiving the information contained in them from other sources (such as stating they were from an apparition or heard/read from a prophet).

I normally use the term "Roman Catholic," and not simply "Catholic," to distinguish that Eastern Orthodox sources do not necessarily have the same teachings. In addition any word(s) in the following type of brackets "{}" was an insert from me. Other parenthetical comments were added by other commentators like the authors of the books cited. Nearly all of the italics and boldings in quotes were in the original sources. It also should be noted that even though I have over two dozen volumes of them, I have not seen all Catholic prophecies, and many are not translated or otherwise generally available. I do not consider most of the "private prophets" claimed by certain Greco-Roman Catholics to be sent by God, hence while I have quoted titles such as "saint," "Holy Pope," "Great Monarch," father, bishop, etc., I do not normally accept that God would call them that in an ecclesiastical sense.

Prophetic Warnings From the Bible

Before getting into Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies themselves, it is important to understand that the Bible has various warnings about deceiving spirits and false prophets.

A lying spirit once stated:

22 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets' (1 Kings 22:22, NKJV throughout unless otherwise indicated).

The Apostle Paul taught and warned:

1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Timothy 4:1).

Notice what Jesus taught and warned:

11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many...24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand (Matthew 24:11, 24-25).

How can it be possible to deceive nearly every one since the Bible is warning about this in advance?

I believe that there are several reasons that will converge to allow Jesus' prophecy to be fulfilled at the end, including people being influenced by private prophecies that may have came to them from their own imaginations or demons.

Notice that the Bible shows that the demons, though they know Jesus is the Christ, also have some understanding of prophecy:

28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:28-29).

The Bible also shows that even one who aids idolaters (such as Balak was) can be a prophet:

5 Then the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, "Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak." 6 So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab..." (Numbers 23:5-6).

Even the Roman Catholic Church itself teaches that one can be other than pious and be a prophet:

Benedict XIV (Heroic Virtue, III,144,150) says: "The recipients of prophecy may be angels, devils, men, women, children, heathens, or gentiles; nor is it necessary that a man should be gifted with any particular disposition in order to receive the light of prophecy provided his intellect and senses be adapted for making manifest the things which God reveals to him. Though moral goodness is most profitable to a prophet, yet it is not necessary in order to obtain the gift of prophecy." (Devine, Arthur. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Prophecy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Thus, many recognize that prophecies can come from various sources. Sources that can be false, even if from the spirit world.

Roman Catholic Position on Private Prophecy

The Catholic Encyclopedia teaches that the acceptance of private prophecies is optional:

The Church allows freedom in accepting or rejecting particular or private prophecies according to the evidence for or against them...The minatory prophecies which announce calamities, being for the most part conditional, may or may not be fulfilled. Many private prophecies have been verified by subsequent events, some have not; others have given rise to a good deal of discussion as to their genuineness. Most of the private prophecies of the saints and servants of God were concerned with individuals, their death, recovery from illness, or vocations. Some foretold things which would affect the fate of nations, as France, England, and Ireland. A great number have reference to popes and to the papacy; and finally we have many such prophecies relating to the end of the world and the approach of the Day of Judgment (Devine, Arthur. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Prophecy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Yet, it needs to be understood that Roman Catholics believe that their private prophecies are highly important:

Private revelations (i.e. apparitions and locutions with or without prophecies) are those which have been recorded since the days of Christ. Revelations which were recorded up to the days of Christ are known as public, biblical, or scriptural revelations...

Many Catholic devotions are based solely on private revelations: the Rosary, the Sacred Heart, and the Scapular are cases in point. More recently, devotion to Our Lady of Fatima was accepted and encouraged by the Church. (Dupont, Yves. Catholic Prophecy: The Coming Chastisement. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1973, p.9).

In other words, even the rosary, one of the foundations of current-day Catholic living, is admitted to have entered the Catholic world through "private revelation" (this particular "revelation" was supposedly given to "St. Dominic" the inquisitor in the early 13th century "as an antidote to heresy and sin"). As far as Fatima goes, the messages of it have not been officially accepted by the Church of Rome--for details and a lot of other Catholic prophecies, check out the book Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions.

Roman Catholic Prophecies That Have Somewhat Come to Pass

Various Roman Catholics have made private prophecies that other Roman Catholics and even the Roman Catholic Church itself believe have been fulfilled.

For the sake of space, the details of them will not be discussed here (though a few are included in Appendix A). But the following is certainly an impressive list with the comments essentially a paraphrase of what the "private prophet" or the Roman Catholic writer cited have concluded about it:

  1. A letter to the Earl of Shrewsbury dated 28 October, 1850 gave a sketch of English Catholic history and included an 11th century prophecy made by one called "Saint Edward the Confessor" where he predicts the Protestant Reformation and England leaving the Roman Catholic faith (Catholic Encyclopedia. Prophecy).
  2. A Catholic saint named Malachy has predicted with what some to believe is complete accuracy (though it included "antipopes"), every pope since 1143 (Malachy's list "has given fitting descriptions of every pope since the 16th century, when it was discovered" Dupont, p.19). I will add here that I looked into the predictions of various ones (including the Popes John-Paul II and Benedict XVI; see also the YouTube video Will Pope Benedict's resignation lead to the prophesied Antichrist?) and believe Malachy's list was accurate about them (though the list also contains what are called "antipopes," and they are NOT distinguished in the list from the other ones).
  3. Malachy also predicted in the 12th century that England would leave the Roman Catholic Church centuries before it did, and that Ireland would not (Birch, DA. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before During and After Antichrist. Queenship Publishing Company, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 307).
  4. "St. Francis of Paula" predicted "the capture of Otranto by the Turks in 1480 and its subsequent recovery by the King of Naples" (Birch, p. 267)
  5. Several Catholic prophets in the 16th century and later predicted automobiles and airplanes (Dupont, p. 113).
  6. In the 16th century Nostradamus predicted communism would arise and the communists would liquidate millions (Dupont, pp. 102-103). Some also claim he predicted the 9/11 bombings and many, many, other items such as the USA working with Italy to defeat Hitler and Mussolini (Dupont, pp.98-99).
  7. An old English prophecy, of apparent Roman Catholic origin, predicted television, submarines, and airplanes/jets (Dupont, p. 21).
  8. Born in the 17th century, the "Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser" stated that the fifth period of the Roman Catholic Church began in 1520, would extend until the time of the "Holy Pope", and that fifth period would be marked by major wars, the loss of Roman Catholic Church influence, moral laxity, and that Moslems would again rise up to cause the Latin Church problems (Dupont, pp. 38-44). He also prophesied that Catholicism would be outlawed in England for 120 years, which supposedly happened from 1658 to 1788 (Birch, p. 271).
  9. An Olivetan monk allegedly foretold in the 18th century (he seemed to be off sometimes and was not always direct) the American Revolution, French Revolution, and something about Pius VI, but also he made errors (Culligan, E. The Last World War and the End of Time. The book was blessed by Pope Paul VI, 1966. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 126-127).
  10. Nun Jeanne le Royer stated, "I see that the century that begins with 1800 shall not be the last. The reign of Antichrist is approaching..." (Dupont, p.52)
  11. In the early 19th century, Matthew Lang predicted World War I and said that the World War would result in less religion and a spread of apparently communism (Culligan, p. 129).
  12. In the 19th century, a Franciscan friar predicted, "all colonies will sever themselves from England" (Culligan, p. 130).
  13. On July 13, 1917 an apparition claiming to be Jesus' mother Mary announced to three children of Fatima in Portugal that World War I was going to end, but unless there was significant repentance, that a greater war (WWII) would begin during the reign of Pope Pius. The pope was not then named Pius, but the next two were and reigned from 1922-1939 and 1939-1958 respectively (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p. 126). The children were also told of the rise of Russian communism and other events which have come to pass--they were also told about an annihilation of nations which is for the future (Connor, pp. 13-16; Dupont, p. 81). Some believe that Pope John Paul II made more of these prophecies pubic as he believed that an assassination attempt on his own life was foretold by the Fatima apparition (see Appendix A).
  14. In the early 20th century, a priest named Freinademetz prophesied that after a war, China would kick out foreign missionaries and almost totally eliminate Christianity from China, but that Christianity would return to China (Dupont, p. 72).
  15. Many Catholic prophecies show that the end could not come before the 20th century and that the beginning of the end would happen in the 20th century (though others said the end would be prior to the end of the 20th century).

Now it needs to be understood that not all Roman Catholic private prophecies have come to pass--including at least one apparition claiming to be Mary, which predicted the end of the world in the 19th century (see 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. 120), a claim that 1957 would cause the healing of all wounds (ibid, p. 130), and another that the world would end in 1991 (ibid, p. 131). When they do not happen, Roman Catholics tend to feel that either the person was not properly inspired by God, the prophecy was misunderstood, or that the prophecy was somehow conditional and some condition changed that stopped it from happening.

However, the above list of possibly fulfilled prophecies is certainly impressive (and I could have made it a lot longer) and I strongly believe will set the stage for the masses of people to accept a final modified Roman Catholic Church interpretation of future events as well.

Perhaps I should add the following private Roman Catholic prophecy also in this section:

Jeanne le Royer (Sister of the Nativity). The storm began in France, and France shall be the first theatre of its ravages after having been its cradle. (Dupont, p.59)

Certain Roman Catholics teach something called "the minor chastisement" which is discussed in a later section. It is supposed to essentially be major civil unrest/civil wars in Europe. And while that has not clearly happened yet, there have been protests across Europe related to COVID as well as various ones about Islamic immigrants. At some point, if they are violent enough, they could possibly be interpreted as the start of "the minor chastisement."

Brief Catholic Outline of "Catholic" End-Time Prophetic Events

While both the Roman Catholic Church and the Continuing Church of God (CCOG) believe that various prophecies will be fulfilled, Roman Catholics seem to put a much higher reliance on private prophecies and tradition than the literal scriptures on various prophetic matters than CCOG members generally do.

Here is a basic outline of quotes of what may be the majority position (other Catholics have a different view which is more consistent with that of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God) within the Roman Catholic world on prophetic sequence mainly put together by the Catholic writer Desmond A. Birch wrote (all sequentially on pages 553-557 and by him unless other pages/authors are noted):

Our Lady told Sister Marianne:..."But this knowledge will only become known to the general public in the 20th. Century. "During this epoch the Church will find itself attacked by waves by the secret sect... (Birch, p. 326).

At some time in the future, the corrupt faithless age we live in now will come to an end either through repentance (immediately followed by an age of peace)--or there will be a chastisement. This would be a Minor Chastisement preceding an Age of Peace. It is not the Tribulation of the Antichrist...

Civil war breaks out in France and Italy at almost the same time. This is the sign given by many prophets that the Chastisement has begun...

This will spread to general wars, and, famine and pestilence (the usual by-products of war)...

Earthquakes, tidal waves, floods and all other sorts of "natural" disasters will occur...

Some Moslems will cause great trouble for the Church and Europe in general...

England will suffer a terrible civil war which starts after the French and Italians have gone through theirs.

The Pope will flee Rome in the company of several other cardinals and go into hiding, be found, and cruelly murdered (Birch, p. 553).

Anne Catherine Emmerich (October 1, 1822) "The Church," she groaned, "is in great danger. I must ask every one who comes to see me to say an Our Father for that intention. We must pray that the Pope may not leave Rome, for unheard-of evils would result from such a step. We must pray the Holy Ghost to enlighten him, for they are even now trying to exact something of him...Two men live at this time who long to ruin the Church, but they have lost one who used to help them with his pen. He was killed by a young man about a year ago, and one of the two men of whom I speak left Germany at the same time. They have their employees everywhere. The little black man in Rome, whom I see so often, has many working for him without their clearly knowing for what end. He has his agents in the new black church also. If the Pope leaves Rome, the enemies of the Church will get the upper hand. I see the little black man in his own country committing many thefts and falsifying things generally. Religion is there so skillfully undermined and stifled that there are scarcely one hundred faithful priests. I cannot say how it is, but I see fog and darkness increasing. There are however, three churches that they cannot seize: St. Peter's, St. Mary-Major's and St. Michael's. Although they are constantly trying to undermine them, they will not succeed. I help not. All must be rebuilt soon for every one, even ecclesiastics are laboring to destroy--ruin is at hand. The two enemies of the Church who have lost their accomplice are firmly resolved to destroy the pious and learned men that stand in their way." (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, p.298)

A man who will subsequently be known as a great saint will ultimately be elected pope near the end of the Chastisement. He will be heavily responsible for the French acceptance of a king to be their military and civil leader ... (Birch, p. 553)

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 (Birch, pp. 362-363).

The Great King will be crowned Holy Roman Emperor by the reigning Pope (Birch, p. 555).

At some point, the Great King chases an invading Moslem army back to the Holy Land...(Birch, p. 553)

The Great King will lead his forces to...victory (Birch, p. 554)

In the 12th century, Catholic saint Hildegard of Bingen declared, "And fly from those who linger in caves and are cloistered supporters of the Devil. Woe to them, woe to them who remain thus! They are the Devil's very viscera, and the advance guard of the son of perdition" (Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), p. 301).

The Great King will establish Peace and justice in civil matters on a worldwide basis, and protect the primacy of the Church in spiritual matters. The former disciplines of the Church are fully restored and order is re-established.

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.

Extended prosperity causes people to begin to grow lax in the practice of their faith.

Wars and bad economic times break out again after some period of time during which the faithful fall into laxity...

The "False Prophet" arrives--the Precursor of Antichrist. He will "ape" the role that St. John the Baptist performed in preparing the people for the arrival of the Messiah.

All of this prepares the way for the coming of Antichrist. He begins his rise to power at about the age of thirty. After he seizes total power he begins a three and one half year of bestial persecution of the Church. (Birch pp. 555,556).

Pope Gregory the Great (died 604): In those days, near the end, hardly a Bishop, but an army of priests and two-thirds of the Christians will join the Schism. (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, Reprint TAN Books, Rockford, IL, 1974, p. 122)

St. Hildegard (d. 1179): ...this cardinal will proclaim himself Anti-Pope, and two thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, also well as Antichrist, are descendants of Dan (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, Reprint TAN Books, Rockford, IL, 1974, p. 128).

St. Francis of Assisi (died 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 the heretics, which will cause my Order to divide. (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, p. 130)

St. Cyril of Jerusalem (4th century) ..."This aforementioned Antichrist is to come when the times of the Roman Empire have been fulfilled and the end of the world is drawing near" (Birch, p. 227).

Dionysius...Antichrist will be an iconoclast. Most in the world will adore him. He will teach that the Christian (Catholic) religion is false, confiscation of Christian (Catholic) property is legal, Saturday is to be observed instead of Sunday, and he will change the ten commandments...He will read people's minds, raise the dead, reward his followers, and punish the rest (Connor Edward. Prophecy for Today, 4th ed. TAN Books, Rockford (IL) 1984, p.85).

During this period, Enoch and Elijah, who have never died but have been maintained in "Paradise" return to the presence of men and preach to the people against Antichrist...It is the arrival of these "Two Witnesses"...

After the death of Antichrist...Then Jesus comes in glory to judge the living and the dead. It is the end of the world and time. (Birch, pp.556,557)

In the above, essentially what writer Birch considered to be the "Minor Chastisement" was followed by a laimed "time of peace" and then followed by the beginning of the "Great Tribulation" (which Birch elsewhere calls the "Major Chastisement").

Now the following is my own understanding of certain relevant supportive Catholic prophecies in a relatively chronological sequence (some are concurrent) with my comments in italics as to where they are accurate in the sense that they are correct or (in most cases) appear to mirror (they are the opposite/reverse) biblical prophecy:

1. There will be a reduction in active Catholics truly practicing the Catholic religion, especially in Europe.

This has occurred to a degree already.

2. This will lead to what some Roman Catholics call the "minor chastisement". Essentially this chastisement will include serious civil turmoil in Europe.

There were small riots in Paris in 2005, in Denmark in 2006, Greece in 2008, Latvia in 2009, terrorism in France in 2015, 2016, & 2017, plus COVID protests across Europe in 2021 and 2022--but much much more devastating riots are expected according to their "prophets"--and biblically this is possible.

3. This will lead to military leaders putting down the riots and minimizing Moslem influence in Europe.

This seems to be biblically essential for certain biblical prophecies to be fulfilled.

4. The one who ultimately emerges as the main military leader will not be widely accepted at first and will probably offend some of the clergy as this new leader will promote a different religious order and claim that it is within Catholicism.

I would tend to consider that this religious order may fulfill Daniel 11:37-39 as it will combine the god of fortresses (the god of the Roman Empire, who is the god of those professing Christian religions that endorse, and often encourage, carnal warfare as acceptable for their followers) and the foreign god that his fathers did not know (probably the new, probably more ecumenical and changed, religious order the King of the North will honor). Many Catholics are rightly concerned that one who will change their faith should be considered as suspect.

5. Europe will reorganize as the Great Monarch will uproot republics.

Most European nations consider themselves to be republics. This 'uprooting' would be consistent with the biblical reorganization of Revelation 17:12-13 (see also Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations?).

6. A pope, who will later do miracles, will crown the military leader as the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire (some Catholic prophecies consider this pope to be some type of "Holy Pontiff", while others would seem to consider him to be a false pope). This pope or perhaps his immediate predecessor (who may die in exile while old) is prophesied to bring the Eastern Orthodox back into some communion with Rome. There are several Catholic prophecies warning against a future antipope.

We in the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God would likely call the miracle performing pope the false prophet or final Antichrist. I (and several respected Catholic writers) consider him to be an antipope in the sense that unlike most other pontiffs this one is in direct and close league with the demons. Catholics generally consider that a pontiff in direct/close league with demons would be an antipope. But although there are Catholic prophecies warning against a future antipope, many Catholics (even according to Catholic prophecies) will not realize that this miracle performing pontiff is the antipope that some of their writers/prophets have apparently warned about.

7. Many Catholic prophecies refer to the military leader as the "Great Monarch" and be crowned as head of the new Holy Roman Empire. He will put down all then considered by "Catholics" as heresies, including the "secret sect"-- a group that denies "the unity of God" and whose plans undermine the revised "Catholic" Church. The Great Monarch will uproot Islam and invade various Arab lands. This time under the Great Monarch certain Catholics indicate will be their "time of peace" (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies).

We in the faithful COG would likely call the military leader the Beast (as well as the King of the North). As discussed throughout this article, we of the Philadelphia remnant of the COG are probably the group that some Catholics will later claim is the "secret sect" that they have been concerned about rising up. Some Catholic prophecies indicate that the secret sect will cause some clergy and other Catholics to leave the Catholic Church. About the time of the Great Monarch we of the Philadelphia remnant of the COG will have gotten the Gospel out to more completely fulfill Matthew 24:14, which will lead to persecution from the Beast (which persecution they seem to call putting down heresies) then the end of the Philadelphia church efforts come as the Philadelphians will go to the place of safety. The Catholics suggest that the trinity that they adopted in 381 A.D., which we in real COG deny as they define it (although we do believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and accept a certain threeness about God, see Theophilus of Antioch), expresses "the unity of God." I also believe that carrying out the remnant of the Philadelphia portion of the COG's plans to restore apostolic Christianity and to proclaim the truth about God's plan of salvation will be interpreted as undermining Catholicism.

The claimed "time of peace" (when it is not really peace, cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:3) is actually probably just before and after the start of the Great Tribulation that will begin with the destruction of the Anglo-American nations (see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel), followed by a "retaliatory" invasion of an Arab-Muslim block (see The Arab World In the Bible, History, and Prophecy), and ultimately the destruction Europe itself (see Europa, the Beast, and Revelation).

8. The combination of the Great Monarch and "Holy Pope" with this new religious order will convert the world to this new brand of Catholicism (false apparitions claiming to be Mary may also play a role, see Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions). This will be the last true Roman Empire (one 12th century Catholic leader, as well as an Orthodox monk, also called this Empire "Babylon" in a positive light) in which "there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope and a few Princes". Some Roman Catholics believe that this will lead to the final fulfillment Matthew 24:14 as much of the world will then hold to this new order within the name Catholicism.

The Bible teaches that ten kings will give their power to the Beast--I suspect that it starts with 10, but that one or two other kings join later in order to make 12 and/or one or two kingdoms become subdivided into two each).

9. During this time two will preach, one of whom certain "Catholics" will refer to as the false prophet. This "false prophet" will announce that one many Catholics consider to be the Antichrist to come is Christ.

We in the real COG will apparently consider that the two who will preach are the two witnesses who will announce that Jesus will come and that there will be a millennial reign of Christ followed by the second resurrection. The one whom we call Jesus, they seem to call the Antichrist (see Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus? ).

10. Prior to the coming of the son of perdition, a group of pious people will live in caves and be miraculously taken care of. They are considered servants of the devil as well as his viscera. The mystic Hildegard warned end-time "Catholic" people (which would seem to be those that accepted a changed form of Catholicism), over 800 years ago, to stay away from them.

We consider that during the time of the son of perdition, the Philadelphians will be protected in the wilderness and be fed by God--for various reasons, it appears that an area with caves is likely. It is possible that those protected may provide some assistance to the two witnesses.

11. Certain Catholic leaders now denounce the idea of a future millennial reign as heretical doctrines of Antichrist. Some will likely claim that ones that they call the "false prophets" cannot be the two witnesses because some contend that the two witnesses are Enoch and Elijah (which they sometimes spell as Henoch and Elias) who are still waiting in Paradise to come down to earth.

Since we in the COG teach that Enoch and Elijah are dead, and thus believe that the two witnesses would deny that they came down from Paradise as Enoch and Elijah--this will likely confirm to certain "Catholics" that those that we refer to as the two witnesses will be to them as "false prophets". This will also be consistent with the improper view that the millennial teaching is a doctrine of Antichrist.

It is important to note that certain other Catholics have correctly indicated that the two witnesses can be some other than Enoch and Elijah.

12. Some Catholics seem to believe that many Catholics will fall away from Catholicism (their "great apostasy") during the end of time of the Great Monarch and this will lead to a "major chastisement" that will result in the destruction of the final Roman Empire and usher in the reign of Antichrist. The Antichrist is specifically prophesied by various Catholics to come immediately at end of the time of the Great Monarch and Holy Pontiff.

The so-called "major chastisement" seems to be what we in Philadelphia remnant of the COG call "the day of the Lord". The one several of their prophets call the Antichrist is the one whom we call Jesus (Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?). Those that "turn away" from the new ecumenical Catholicism will be likely part of the great multitude that converts to true Christianity during the great tribulation (cf. Revelation 7:9).

13. Although the "Antichrist" may be considered as an antipope (a minority, but valid, view within Catholicism), certain writings indicate that he may be Jewish. He will either try to establish a new Roman Empire (possibly a minority view within Catholicism) or some type of Jewish Empire. He will insist on a seventh-day Sabbath, eliminate Catholic mass, change (perhaps put back in their original numbering and meaning) the ten commandments, and eliminate all idols. This "Antichrist" will raise the dead, read people's minds, be able to fly, and will usher in a prosperous age. Determined revisionist end-time Catholics will not accept this one and will wait and fight him and ultimately hope to triumph as Jesus will come.

We in the COG believe that the one some "Catholic" writers teach is Antichrist is really Jesus (Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?), hence this is why they will fight Him upon His return. The prosperous age would then be the millennium, an original doctrine of the early Church that the ecumenically-minded Cardinal Ratzinger previously denounced (see Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).

Since at the time of the end, from a religious perspective it will essentially be God's Church verses the Church of Antichrist (a changed religion that will likely call itself "Catholic"), I believe that better understanding the Catholics' past and their prophecies helps those of us in the Philadelphia remnant of the COG better tailor our message so that we will better be able to properly fulfill the first part of Matthew 24:14. I also suspect that our improved future effectiveness in getting the Gospel out (perhaps a very "short work", see Romans 9:28 and Preparing for the 'Short Work' and The Famine of the Word) will trigger persecution from the Beast and that this causes the end to come (the second part of Matthew 24:14).

Here is a Catholic prophecy that seems to predict that:

Priest Nectou S.J. (d. 1772): They indeed shall conspire for the destruction of the Church; but the time shall not be allowed them, because this frightful crisis shall be for a short duration. When all will be considered lost, all shall be found safe ... The triumph of the Church will then be so complete that nothing like it shall ever be seen...A man disliked by France will be placed on the throne...(Culleton, p. 176; cf. Dupont, p. 48).

Without going into to all the reasons, let me state that the Church of God has long cited non-biblical sources and prophecies in order to get its message to more people as well as to better explain aspects of Satan's Plan (Acts 17:28; Hill, David Jon. Will You Be Deceived by Antichrist? Good News magazine of the Radio Church of God, October 1964, pp. 9-12,18; Hill DJ. Christ or Antichrist?  Good News magazine, Radio Church of God, April 1961, pp. 10-11), that the Apostle Paul referred to pagan writings to reach his audience at times (cf. Acts 17:22-34; Titus 1:12)--and no, I am not saying that all Catholic private prophecies are part of Satan's Plan, though many are (watch also the video Will Jesus Christ be called the Antichrist?).

Since real Christians are not to be ignorant of Satan's devices (2 Corinthians 2:11), those who actually believe the Bible more than their own "traditions" should realize that knowing how Satan has planned to deceive the world is an important aspect of being able to complete the final phase of the work (as doctrines of demons will be part of it, cf. 1 Timothy 4:1).  Dealing with false prophecies has long been something that God's leaders (cf. 1 Kings 18) and prophets (e.g. (Jeremiah 28:15-16) have had to do.

Perhaps another, semi-official, view of these Catholic private prophecies by another Catholic, who is Vice President for Theology at EWTN (a Catholic broadcasting organization) might also help show that my understanding of some of these events is consistent with the generally accepted order by some of the Catholics:

The term "endtimes" applies both to the era of Christ's first coming (Heb 1:2, 1 Cor 10:11, Heb 9:26) and to the events immediately before his return and the end of the ages (Mt 24:13, 2 Tim 2:1, 2 Peter 3:3). The definitive Catholic teaching on the endtimes is contained in the Catechism of the Catholic Church under the discussion of the article of the Creed, "From thence He will come again to judge the living and the dead." [CCC 668-682]...The Catechism provides us with a general order of events at the End [CCC 673-677]...

Approved Catholic mystics (Venerables, Blessed and Saints, approved apparitions) throw considerable light on this order, by prophesying a minor apostasy and tribulation toward the end of the world, after which will occur the reunion of Christians. Only later will the entire world fall away from Christ (the great apostasy) and the personal Antichrist arise and the Tribulation of the End occur.

Although this is not Catholic doctrine, arising as it does from private revelation, it conforms to what is occurring in our time, especially in light of Our Lady of Fátima's promise of an "Era of Peace." This "Triumph of the Immaculate Heart" (other saints have spoken of a social reign of Jesus Christ when Jesus will reign in the hearts of men) would seem to occur prior to the rise of the Antichrist. The optimism of the Pope for the "New Evangelization" and a "Civilization of Love" in the Third Millennium of Christianity fits here, as well. This would place us, therefore, in the period just before the events spoken of in the Catechism, that is, on the verge of the evangelization of the entire world. Other interpretations are possible, but none seem to fit the facts as well, especially when approved mystics are studied, instead of merely alleged ones. (Colin B. Donovan, STL. Endtimes, Millennium, Rapture. http://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/endtimes.htm viewed 09/27/08)

Thus, even The Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) teaches that Catholics have approved mystics that suggest that a minor apostasy and tribulation (which D. Birch called the "minor chastisement") will happen that will lead to an "era of peace" (the time dominated by the Great Monarch, which may also be related to the immaculate or sacred heart doctrine) and that shortly thereafter then the one some writers falsely call Antichrist (who is likely Jesus, see Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?) will come.

On the other hand, some Catholic writers correctly understand that false leaders will rise up and make changes to their church. That is consistent with what we in faithful CCOG teach.

We of the Philadelphia remnant of the CCOG expect to get Christ's Gospel of the Kingdom to the world as a witness, suffer persecution, flee during the time that some claim is "the era of peace", The King of the North/The Beast will reign with the final Antichrist, and Jesus will return to establish His kingdom on earth for a thousand years.

While we in the COG rely primarily upon the Bible for our understanding of end-time events (as do certain Catholics), some Catholics appear to rely on visions/utterances that seem to take essentially the opposite view of many end-time events (even though many Catholic writings are supportive of various COG positions).

Some Roman Catholic Private Prophecies That Might Be Fulfilled in the Future: The "Minor" Chastisement

As alluded to earlier, many Roman Catholics believe that there will be two punishments coming to the earth. The first is to essentially wake Roman Catholics up and make existing ones become practicing Catholics again (sometimes called the "minor chastisement" or "minor judgment") and the second which they believe will occur during the time of Antichrist (sometimes called the "major chastisement").

Here seems to be a private prophecy about it:

Venerable Abbé Necktou (18th century): Blood shall flow in several large cities. The very elements shall be convulsed. It will be like a little general judgment. A great multitude of persons shall perish in these calamitous times...this frightful crisis shall be but of a short duration. When all will be considered lost, all shall be found safe. (Rossi, G. THE CHRISTIAN TRUMPET, OR, Previsions and Predictions about Impending General Calamities, The Universal Triumph of the Church, The Coming of Antichrist, The Last Judgment, and The End of the World. Compiled by PELLEGRINO [Gaudentius Rossi], A Missionary Priest with Superior's permission. Boston, THOS. B. NOONAND & CO., 1873, p. 30)

Here are comments from two authors of books on Catholic prophecies:

This is so because there are two different stages within the Latter-Days period: the first, heralding the final stage, being of lessor intensity: the final stage bringing about the consummation of the world. To each of these two stages will the proximate signs of the End apply. Thus, we are now about to enter the first stage, the Great disaster which is imminent and which shall be followed by a period of peace...In short, virtually the whole world will be Catholic. The universal preaching of the Gospel, in turn, will constitute the first sign of the second stage (Dupont, p. 90)

The Minor Chastisement...This would be a Minor Chastisement preceding an Age of Peace. It is not the Tribulation of Antichrist...The Major Chastisement - the Tribulation of Antichrist (Birch, pp. xlii-xliii)

Some Catholics apparently believe that there will be a time of peace and strangely claim that this is what Revelation 9:20-21 allows:

This text gives no indication about the interval of time between the first and second woe...Verses 20 and 21 presage a time of peace between the first reign of terror in the second woe and the reign of Antichrist (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. 228).

However, this "time of peace" appears to be reading something into the Book of Revelation that it does not say. Notice:

20 But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk. 21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts (Revelation 9:20-21).

It should be noted that the above scripture is the ONLY scriptural proof that Priest Kramer (or Birch text, p. 410, which also claim the same thing) cites for the time of the "age of peace", the time that there will be a Great Monarch and Great Pope. And of course, the above verses in Revelation do not even hint that this alleged "age of peace" happens then.

What kind of proof is that?

False proof of course.

Actually, the Bible warns of a time when peace will falsely be proclaimed:

... they have seduced My people, saying, 'Peace!' when there is no peace (Ezekiel 13:10).

Thus "the age of peace" may be the type of "peace" that the Bible warns against as it otherwise does not endorse that concept prior to the millennial reign of Jesus Christ (see also Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism?).

Some Catholic writers also expect a false peace.

LaSalette Prophecy (1846): There will be a kind of false peace before the advent of Antichrist. (Culleton, R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, p. 163)

However, here are comments from those often considered to have been Roman "Catholic" prophets concerning their expected chastisements:

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (died 1837): "God will ordain two punishments: one, in the form of wars, revolutions and other evils, will originate on earth; the other will be sent from Heaven." (Connor, p. 21)

Venerable Maria of Agreda (died 1665): "An unusual chastisement of the human race will take place toward the end of the world." (Dupont, p.21)

Catholic mystic in Heede Germany (1937-1945): "The earth will tremble and will suffer. It will be terrible. A minor judgment." (Hebert AJ.  Prophecies, the Chastisement, and Purification.  Nihil Obstat Robert Ripp, Eugene J. Driscoll.  H. Albert, Paulina (Louisiana), 1986, p. 94).

Mother Shipton (16th century). "The great chastisement will come when carriages go without horses..." (Dupont, 113)

Mother Shipton was born Ursula Sontheil in 1488 in a cave beside the river Nidd in North Yorkshire, England. Close by was an ancient well with supposed mystical powers...

When pictures seem alive with movements free When boats like fishes swim beneath the sea, When men like birds shall scour the sky Then half the world, deep drenched in blood shall die.

For those who live the century through In fear and trembling this shall do. Flee to the mountains and the dens To bog and forest and wild fens.

For storms will rage and oceans roar When Gabriel stands on sea and shore And as he blows his wondrous horn Old worlds die and new be born.

A fiery dragon will cross the sky Six times before this earth shall die Mankind will tremble and frightened be for the sixth heralds in this prophecy.

For seven days and seven nights Man will watch this awesome sight. The tides will rise beyond their ken To bite away the shores and then The mountains will begin to roar And earthquakes split the plain to shore.

And flooding waters, rushing in Will flood the lands with such a din That mankind cowers in muddy fen And snarls about his fellow men.

He bares his teeth and fights and kills And secrets food in secret hills And ugly in his fear, he lies To kill marauders, thieves and spies.

Man flees in terror from the floods And kills, and rapes and lies in blood And spilling blood by mankinds hands Will stain and bitter many lands (Mother Shipton's Prophecies. http://www.crystalinks.com/shipton.html 08/26/08).

Bl. Rembort (18th century). "God will punish the world when men have devised marvelous inventions which will lead them to forgetting God. They will have horseless carriages, and they will fly like the birds. But they will laugh at the idea of God, thinking that they are 'very clever'..." (Dupont, p. 113)

Nicholas of Fluh (15th century). "The Church will be punished because the majority of her members will become so perverted. The Church will sink deeper and deeper until she will at last seem to have been extinguished, and the succession of Peter and the other Apostles to have expired. But, after this, she will be victoriously exalted in the sight of all doubters.' (Dupont, p. 30)

Dionysius of Luxemberg (died 1682): a. "After the birth of Antichrist the people of the world will be very wicked and godless. People of real virtue will be very scarce. Pastors in many places will neglect the service of God, and will live with women. Even the religious will crave for worldly things. The churches will be dreary and empty like deserted barns...At the time when Antichrist is about twenty years of age the whole world will be without faith, subjects will be oppressed by rulers and others in authority. In every period of tribulation God aids His Church, and He will do it in the time before the coming of Antichrist. From the midst of His Church He will raise up a Christian ruler who will perform most remarkable deeds. With divine assistance this ruler will not only lead erring souls back to the true Faith but also deal a heavy blow to the foes of the empire; the Turks, to take away their empire and restore it to Christianity (Connor p.84).

Father Bernard Maria Clausi, O.F.M. (died 1849): "Before the triumph of the Church comes, God will first take vengeance on the wicked, especially against the godless. It will be a new judgment; the like has never been seen before, and it will be universal. It will be so terrible that those who outlive it will imagine that they are the only ones spared. All people will then be good and contrite. The judgment will come suddenly and be of short duration. (Connor, p.24)

Nursing Nun of Beliz (died 1830): "There will be a great slaughtering whereby the wicked will try to eradicate the religion of Jesus Christ. After they have killed a great number they will raise a cry of victory, but suddenly the good will receive help from above. This great crisis, in which the good will eventually triumph, will be of short duration, namely about three months. The majority of the wicked will perish and the living will be very much afraid over the chastisement of the others. They cannot but recognize the finger of God and adore His omnipotence. Many will then be converted and justice restored." (Connor, p.24)

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (died 1837): "described to me the great ordeal ahead. Rome would be battered by revolutions...Millions of men would die by the sword in war and civil strife, other millions would perish in unforeseen death. Then entire nations would return to the unity of the Church, and many Turks, Pagans and Jews would be converted and their fervour cover with confusion the original Christians. In one word she told me that our Lord was intending to cleanse the world and His Church..." (Bessieres A. Wife, Mother and Mystic (Blessed Anna Maria Taigi). Nihil Obstat: Carlos Davis, S.T.L. Imprimatur: E Morrough Bernard, Westmonasteri, die Februari, 1952. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1982, p. 166).

(Note: The term "Turks" sometimes is only referring to followers of Islam as opposed to Turkish peoples. Notice this from a secular, non-Catholic prophecy, source,

"IT WAS A LONG TIME before Christendom was ready to recognize Islam as an independent religious and historical fact.  For centuries, Christians were content to refer to Muslims simply as unbelievers or, if some more specific designation was required, by the ethnic names of the various Muslim peoples whom they encountered, as Saracens, Moors or Turks.  Even a convert to Islam was said to have 'turned Turk'.  When finally Christian Europe consented to give tis great neighbour a religious appellation, it invented one by false analogy, calling to people Muhammadans and their faith Muhammadanism, in the mistaken belief that Muhammad was for Muslims what Christ was for Christians. From the Renaissance onwards, however, European scholars made a serious attempt to learn the languages of the Muslims, and to understand and interpret their religion and civilization" source: Lewis, Bernard, ed. Islam and the Arab World. Alfred A. Knopp, distributed by Random House, NY, 1976, p.9.)

Mother Alphonse Eppinger (1867): "After God has purified the world faith and peace will return. Whole nations will adhere to the teachings of the Catholic Church." (Connor, p.25)

Jeanne le Royer (Sister of the Nativity). "I see in God that a long time before the rise of Antichrist the world will be afflicted with many bloody wars. Peoples will rise against peoples, and nations will rise against nations, sometimes allied, sometimes enemies, in their fight against the same party. Armies will come into frightful collisions and will fill the earth with murder and carnage. (Dupont, p.54)

Written in Syriac in the late seventh century, the Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius shaped and influenced Christian eschatological thinking in the Middle Ages. …

One notable feature about the work is the presence of sexuality with regards to Christian behavior in the end days—specifically discussing swinging, homosexuality, and cross-dressing as indicators of a sinful society. It is only then that the text says the “sons of Ishmael”, that is Muslims, will emerge from the desert of Ethribus to inflict God’s punishment upon the Christians who “slipped into depravity”. (Apocalypse of Pseudo-Methodius. Wikipedia, accessed 03/22/16)

Jeanne le Royer (Sister of the Nativity). "I saw in the light of the Lord that the faith and our holy Religion would become weaker in almost every Christian kingdom. God has permitted that they should be Chastised by the wicked in order to awaken them from their apathy. And after the justice of God has been satisfied, He will pour out an abundance of graces on His Church, and He will spread the Faith and restore the discipline of the Church in those countries where it had become tepid and lax. (Dupont, pp.55-56)

Pope John Paul II (March 1993), as reported by Monsignor Mauro Longhi on October 22, 2017: Tell this to those whom you will meet in the Church of the third millennium. I see the Church afflicted by a deadly scourge. Deeper, more painful and more deadly than those of this millennium’, referring to … communism and Nazi totalitarianism. ‘It’s called islamism. They will invade Europe. I saw the hordes coming from the West to the East’, and he described to me the countries one by one: from Morocco to Libya to Egypt, and so on to the eastern parts. The Holy Father added, ‘They will invade Europe, Europe will be like a cellar, old relics, shadowy, cobwebs. Family heirlooms. You, the Church of the third millennium, will have to contain the invasion. Not with armies, armies will not suffice, but with your faith, lived with integrity.’ ” (McLean DC. Newly revealed vision of St. Pope John Paul: Islam will invade Europe. LifeSite News, November 23, 2017. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/newly-revealed-vision-of-st.-pope-john-paul-islam-will-invade-europe)

Saint Vincent Ferrer (died 1418): "In the days of peace that are to come after the desolations of revolutions and wars, before the end of the world, the Christians will be so lax in their religion...(Connor, p. 80)

Basically this first punishment/chastisement is supposed to be civil unrest in Europe that will lead to the acceptance of a Great Monarch/Prince who some claim will restore order, drive out Moslems, be considered to be the head of the Holy Roman Empire, and will help the world become a religion with the name "Catholic" (although some of the accounts are somewhat contradictory), and who they believe comes before the Antichrist:

Birch Tree Prophecy (Old German) “When the world becomes Godless: revolutions will break out against kings; fathers will be against sons and sons against fathers; dogma will be perverted; men will try to overthrow the Catholic Church…A terrible war will find the north fighting against the south.  The south will be led by a Prince wearing a white coat with a cross on the front…” (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. 143).

Jean Paul Richter (d. 1809): Through a terrible purgatory Europe will return to the faith (Culleton, p. 182).

Monk Hilarion (d. 1476): The people of the Peninsula of Europe will suffer by unnecessary wars until the Holy Man comes (Culleton, p. 137).

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (Born in the 17th century, in Germany). "The fifth period of the Church, which began circa 1520, will end with the arrival of the Holy Pope and of the powerful Monarch who is called "Help From God" because he will restore everything [in Christ]...The fifth period is one of affliction, humiliation, and poverty for the Church. Jesus Christ will purify His people...He will also afflict and weaken the Latin Church with many heresies (Dupont, p.38)

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser...During this period, many men will abuse of the freedom of conscience conceded to them. It is of such men that Jude, the Apostle, spoke when he said" 'These men blaspheme whatever they do not understand; and they corrupt whatever they know naturally as irrational animals do...They feast together without restraint, feeding themselves, grumbling murmurers, walking according to their lusts; their mouth speaketh proud things, they admire people for the sake of gain; they bring about division, sensual men, having not the spirit.' (Dupont, p.39)

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): Terrible wars will rage all over Europe. God has long been patient with the corruption of morals; half of mankind He will destroy. Russia will witness many outrages. Great cities and small towns alike will be destroyed in a bloody revolution that will cause the death of half the population. In Istanbul (Constantinople) the Cross will replace the half-moon of Islamism, and Jerusalem will be the seat of a King. The southern Slavs will form a great Catholic Empire and drive out of Europe the Turks (Mohammedans), who will withdraw to North Africa and subsequently embrace the Catholic faith. (Dupont, p.76)

Bl. Rabanus Maurus (died 856): Our principal doctors agree in announcing to us, that towards the end of time one of the descendants of France shall reign over all the Roman Empire; that he shall be the greatest of the Empire; and that he shall be the greatest of the French monarch, and the last of his race. After happily governed his kingdom, he will go to Jerusalem, and depose on Mount of Olives his sceptre and crown. This shall be the end and conclusion of the Roman… Empire. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 136)

Monk Adso (died 992): Some of our Teachers say that a King of the Franks will possess the entire Roman Empire. This King will be the greatest and the last of all Monarchs, and after having prosperously governed his kingdom, he will come in the end to Jerusalem and he will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives and immediately afterwards, Anti-Christ will come. (ibid, p. 137)

Brother Louis Rocco (19th century): All over Europe there will rage terrible civil wars...The German sections of Austria will join Germany, so will also the commercial cities of Belgium and Switzerland. A Catholic descendant of a German imperial house will rule a united Germany with peace, prosperity and great power, for God will be with this sovereign (the Great Monarch?)...A Great Monarch will arise after a period of terrible wars and persecutions in Europe. He will be a Catholic; he will not be a German (Culleton, p. 195).

Priest Lavinsky (died 1708): The world will be harassed by civil wars...the Cross, to the astonishment of all, will shine in double splendor through many lands because of the great ruler (Connor, pp.36-37).

John of the Cleft Rock (1340): The White Eagle (Great Monarch), by order of the Archangel Michael, will drive crescent from Europe where none but Christians will remain--he himself will rule from Constantinople. An era of peace and prosperity will begin for the world. There will no longer be Protestants {there were no "Protestants" then and author Connor of that book suggests that perhaps this word should have been translated as heretics} or schismatics...God will raise up a holy Pope (Connor, pp. 33-34)

Anonymou Paraphrasis (10th century): God will reveal him and will make him manifest and will anoint him with oil in the End Times; this King actually has been anointed with the holy oil of God while still in his mother's womb. (Tzima Otto, H.  The Great Monarch and WWIII in Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Scriptural Prophecies. Verenika Press, Rock City (SC), 2000, p. 48)

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (died 1658):...Are we not to fear, during this period, that the Mohammedans will come again, working out their sinister schemes against the Latin Church? (Dupont, p.39).

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (died 1658):..."When everything has been ruined by war; when Catholics are hard pressed by traitorous co-religionists and heretics; when the Church and her servants are denied their rights, the monarchies have been abolished and their rulers murdered...then the hand of Almighty God will work a marvelous change, something apparently impossible according to human understanding. There will rise a valiant monarch anointed by God. He will be a Catholic, a descendant of Louis IX, (yet) a descendant of an ancient imperial German family, born in exile. He will rule supreme in temporal matters. The Pope will rule supreme in spiritual matters at the same time. Persecution will cease and justice shall reign. Religion seems to be oppressed, but by the changes of entire kingdoms it will be made more firm.

"He will root out false doctrines and destroy the rule of the Moslemism. His dominion will extend from the East to the West. All nations will adore God their Lord according to Catholic teaching. There will be many wise and just men. The people will love justice, and peace will reign over the whole earth, for divine power will bind Satan for many years until the coming of the Son of Perdition.

"The reign of the Great Ruler may be compared with that of Caesar Augustus, who became Emperor after his victory over his enemies, thereby giving peace to the world--also with the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great, who was sent by God, after severe persecutions, to deliver both the Church and State. By his victories on water and land he brought the Roman empire under subjection, which he then ruled in peace...

"The Great Monarch will have the special help of God and be unconquerable.

"The Fifth Epoch of time dates from the reign of Charles V until the reign of the Great Monarch.

"The Sixth Epoch from the Great Monarch until Antichrist. This Sixth Epoch of the Church--'the time of consolation'--begins with the Holy Pope and the Powerful Emperor, and terminates with the reign of Antichrist. This will be an age of solace, wherein God will console His church after the many mortifications and afflictions she had endured in the Fifth period, for all nations will be brought to the unity of the true Catholic Faith." (Connor, pp.35-36)

I suspect that the comments about "when Catholics are hard pressed by traitorous co-religionists and heretics" refers to books and papers written by those who consider themselves Catholics (traitorous co-religionists) and those that once did (heretics--only those once baptized as Catholic are officially considered to possibly be heretics, see appendix B). I believe that we of the Philadelphia remnant of the COG will help get out more true documented information out that this will help lead to the persecutions Daniel 11:32-35 and Revelation 12:13-15.

Notice what was taught by at least one Catholic saint:

Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco also known as "Saint Don Bosco" (1862): There will be chaos in the Church. Tranquility will not return until the Pope succeeds in anchoring the boat of Peter between the Twin Pillars of Eucharist Devotion and devotion to Our Lady (Flynn Ted and Maureen. The Thunder of Justice. MaxKol Communications, Inc. Sterling (VA), 1993, p. A213).

Notice that the minor chastisement does not look like it is supposed to end, at least according to one Catholic saint, until Mary devotion increases (for more details, please see Mary, the Mother of Jesus and the Apparitions).

Ecumenism is to Lead to A Type of Roman Catholic Dominance of the World

How will the increase of "Catholicism" (the final revised ecumenical religion that will apparently take that name) come about? I suspect it will occur with a combination of events, including signs and wonders (c.f. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) further uniting Europe. The ecumenical and Marian-focused Pope Francis seems interested in this type of occurrence (see also Pope Francis: Could this Marian Focused Pontiff be Fulfilling Prophecy?).

Also, it would also seem that only by eliminating the bastions of Protestantism, such as the United States and its Anglo-allies (like the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand), would it be reasonable for this new Catholicism to reign over the earth (and even then, it is likely to be a changed, more ecumenical, form of Catholicism). This is consistent with Catholic, as well as biblical prophecy (e.g. Daniel 11:39). For more on what happens to the United States and its Anglo-allies, please see Anglo - America in Prophecy; more on Catholic prophecies that foretell the destruction of the English/Anglo peoples is included later in this article.

Around the time of the destruction of the United States and its Anglo-allies, an ecumenical religion is expected (cf. Daniel 11:37-39, explained in the article Who is the King of the North?; Revelation 13:3-9).

Catholic prophecy suggests that conversions will first begin with Germany and Spain spread under the Great Ruler (the Great Monarch):

Blessed Joannes Amadeus de Sylva (died 1482): Germany and Spain will unite under a great prince...After much slaughtering, the other nations will be forced to come into this union. There is no hope for the unbelievers until all of Germany is converted; then all will happen quickly...the time will be prolonged until all countries unite under the Great Ruler. After this union, mass conversions will take place...(Connor, p. 34)

Furthermore, there are Catholic prophecies that suggest that an ecumenical council is expected:

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).

Yet, contrary to the above private Catholic prophecy, the Bible nowhere indicates that Satan will be bound just before the "Son of Perdition" comes. The binding of Satan comes afterwards, even according to the Rheims New Testament:

20. When the beast was apprehended, and with him the false prophet: which wrought signs
before him, wherewith he seduced them that took the character of the beast, and that adored
his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning also with brimstone.
21. And the rest were slain by the sword of him that sitteth upon the horse, which
proceedeth out of his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
__________________________________________________________________________

1 AND I saw an Angel descending from heaven, having the key of the bottomless depth,
and a great chain in his hand.
2. And he apprehended the dragon the old serpent, which is the Devil and Satan,
and bound him for a thousand years. (Apocalypse, 19:20-21; 20:1-2).

This is another example of how Catholic some prophecies do not teach what even the Catholic translation of Bible prophecy teaches. And since even the Vatican states that private prophecies do not need to be believed, people of all persuasions should always take the word of the Bible over those who teach in conflict with it (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).

Also, instead of proclaiming ecumenical unity prior to the return of Jesus Christ, the Bible warns that there will be one major religion at the end and people should not adhere to it:

4"Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?" 5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies...
8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints (Revelation 13:4-5,8-10).

36 Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies...38 he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know (Daniel 11:36,38).

Note: The "beast" and the "king" above are the same individual. These verses show that this leader wants worship and publicly honors two gods, and that the world will follow him, which implies ecumenicalism of some type. Clearly the Bible warns of a coming ecumenical leader that will lead a religion that the world will follow, and that will make the traders of the world prosperous (Revelation 18:11-15). Yet, the true Church, according to Jesus, was only to be "a little flock" until Jesus returned (Luke 12:32).

Notice the following prophecies which also tend to confirm the idea that after the Roman Catholics have troubles (like their "minor chastisement"), a great leader will arise and a form of Catholicism will gain the upper hand:

The Ecstatic of Tours..."The revolution will spread to every French town. Wholesale slaughter will take place. This revolution will last only a few months but it will be frightful; blood will flow everywhere because the malice of the wicked will reach its highest pitch. Victims will be innumerable. Paris will look like a slaughter-house. Persecutions against the Church will be even greater, but it will not last long...Many bishops and priest will be put to death. The archbishop of Paris will be murdered...At this juncture, the French people will turn back to God and implore the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate...

"The French people will ask for the good King, he who was chosen by God. He will come, this saviour whom God has spared for France, this King who is not wanted now because he is dear to God's Heart. He will ascend to the throne; he will free the church and reassert the Pope's rights..." (Dupont, p.37)

Prophecy of Mayence Woe to thee, great city (Paris); woe to thee, city of vice! Fire and sword shall succeed fire and famine. Courage faithful souls! The reign of the dark shadow shall not have time to execute all its schemes. But the time of mercy approaches. A prince of the nation is in your midst. He is the man of salvation, the wise, the invincible, he shall count his enterprises by his victories. He shall drive the enemy out of France, he shall march from victory to victory, until the day of divine justice. (Tzima Otto, pp. 156-147)

Venerable Magdalene Porzat (died 1850) (Great Monarch)...shall...restore to their dominions the legitimate kings. A just and pious man born in Galacia shall be the Supreme Pontiff: then the whole world will be united and prosperous. One faith only and one emperor shall reign over the whole earth (Connor, p. 38).

Old Saxon Prophecy. "The seven-headed city, now more admirable than Jerusalem, shall be a place more desolate than Jerusalem. The Dog shall enter Germany but shall afterwards forsake his master and choose for himself a new man, whereby Scripture shall be fulfilled. This Dog shall signify the Turk which shall forsake his Mohammed and choose unto him the name Christian...But after all these things the end of the world shall approach, and there shall be heavey and pitiful days."

Comment: The seven-headed city is probably Rome...(the comment is from Dupont personally, Dupont, pp.23-24)

Nostradamus: The Great Arab shall progress well forward, But betrayed shall be by the Byzantines. (Turks).

Comment on above from Catholic writer Yves Dupont: Here, we are told that Turkey will break its faith with the rest of the Arab world. (Dupont, p. 107).

St. Methodius (4th century). "A day will come when the enemies of Christ will boast of having conquered the whole world {perhaps Moslems?}. They will say: 'Christians cannot escape now!' But a Great King will arise to fight the enemies of God. He will defeat them, and peace will be given to the world, and the Church will be freed from her anxieties." (Dupont, p.13)

Telesphorus of Cozensa (16th century). "A powerful French Monarch and French Pope will regain the Holy Land after terrible wars in Europe. They will convert the world and bring universal peace. They will overcome the German ruler.'' (Dupont, p. 31)

Pius IX (19th century). "There will be a great prodigy which will fill the world with awe. But this prodigy will be preceded by the triumph of a revolution during which the Church will go through ordeals that are beyond description." (Dupont, p.13)

Melanie Calvat (The Seeress of La Salette, 19th century). "After a frightful war a Great King will arise and his reign will be marked by a wonderful peace and a great religious revival." (Dupont, p.13)

St. Thomas a'Becket (12th Century). St. Thomas says:

"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."

Notice that St. Thomas says wars and wonders will precede a resurgence in belief in Christ during the latter times (Birch, p. 255). {The comments in italics were from Birch personally}.

Of course, a religious revival that would tend to include most people throughout the world would tend to be an ecumenical one. Hence, this is a somewhat different religion than the current Catholic faith. Catholics should not accept any changes from the true faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (Jude 3) and truly turn to true apostolic Christianity.

It should also be noted that many Orthodox and Roman Catholics expect signs and wonders will announce the Great Monarch, as he will be a lesser known leader before coming into power.  Here is one from an Orthodox source and two from Catholic sources:

Anonymou Paraphrasis (10th century): The one true King…is destined to become manifest [be revealed]…by means…of signs… The King will hear the voice and instructions by an Angel appearing to him…he has foresight and is cognizant of the text of the prophecies…the name of the King is hidden [concealed] among the nations…And the particular manner of the king’s manifestation to the public [to the world] will take place as follows: A star will appear for three days…And a herald speaking with a very loud voice in the course of the three days will summon and unveil the hoped for one…There will become visible in the sky a ‘nebulous firmament of the sun’…under that image will be suspended a cross…And the invisible herald from Heaven with his thunderous voice will say to the people: Is this man agreeable to you?  At that moment everybody will be taken by fear and terror (Tzima-Otto, pp. 30, 31, 32, 50-51,52).

R. Gerald Culleton (20th century): During the reign of the Great Monarch and the Angelic Pastor the Catholic Church will spread throughout the world, conversions will be innumerable…The Blessed Virgin will be the chief one in gaining victory over all heresy…(Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 50)

Pope Pius IX (died 1878): We expect that the Immaculate Virgin…will gain in influence from day to day among all nations and in all places, prosper and rule from ocean to ocean…to the ends of the earth…there will be one fold and one shepherd. (Connor, p. 31)

But signs accompanying a coming leader is something that the Bible repeatedly warns against (2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; Revelation 13:11-14, 16:13-14, 18:21-24; cf. Matthew 24:24-25); as are signs related to a "Lady" (Isaiah 47:1, 5, 7,8, 12; cf. Revelation 17:1, 18; 18:7-8, 11, 21-24).  Thus, the fact that those type of signs are expected to announce the "Great Monarch" should warn Catholics and everyone else not to follow such a leader (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies).

Catholic Private Prophecies Suggest that the End Begins in the 20th/21st Century

While many of the following prophecies may not seem to be as impressive as those listed earlier or those discussed later in this article, they too seem to have a certain accuracy (or in some cases, misapplied applicability) for the 21st century.

Notice what it has been claimed that a Catholic saint named Nilus allegedly (there is controversy around the veracity of this) stated in 430 A.D.:

After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society (CATHOLIC PROPHECIES - PART I http://www.freehomepages.com/nostradamus/catholic_prophecies_PartOne.htm 01/30/07).

The following, which have not come to pass quite as indicated below (and some are clearly in error), do demonstrate that some Roman Catholic sources suggest that the end is fairly near to now:

Jean de Roquetaillade (died 1365): Because it is said that twenty centuries after the incarnation of the Verb, the Beast would also be embodied and she would threaten the earth with evils as impressive as the graces brought by the divine incarnation (Araujo, Fabio R. Selected Prophecies and Prophets. BookSurge LLC, Charlestown (SC), 2007, p. 59).

St. Bridget of Sweden (died 1373): In the year 1980 the wicked shall prevail; they will profane and sacrilegiously defile the churches, by erecting in them altars to idols and to Antichrist (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 139).

E. Culligan (20th century): The author feels that there is convincing evidence for him to accept that the Antichrist was born on February 5, 1962...The Antichrist will be a Jew by race and religion (Culligan E. The Last World War and the End of Time. The book was blessed by Pope Paul VI, 1966. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 100-101).

Also notice the following which essentially did come to pass as we of the Philadelphia remnant of the COG believe that the "beginning of the end" also occurred in the 20th Century (e.g. Meredith RC. When Will the END Come? Tomorrow's World, May-June 2006):

SISTER BERTINA BOUQUILLION (d. 1850)...The beginning of the end will not come in the nineteenth century BUT CERTAINLY IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY." (Culligan E. The Last World War and the End of Time. The book was blessed by Pope Paul VI, 1966. TAN Books, Rockford (IL), Pp. 130-131)

Sister Bouquillon (19th century). "The beginning of the end shall not come in the 19th century, but in the 20th for sure." (Dupont, p. 23)

Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1950) We are living in the days of the Apocalypse--the last days of our era.... The two great forces of the Mystical Body of Christ and the Mystical Body of Antichrist are beginning to draw up the battle lines for the catastrophic contest. (Flynn T & L. The Thunder of Justice. Maxkol Communications, Sterling (VA), 1993, p. 20)

It was only in the 20th century that the Philadelphia era of the true Church of God emerged and began to proclaimed the millennial gospel of the kingdom to the world as a witness. A gospel message that essentially draws battle lines between the true Church of God (now best represented by the most faithful Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God) who look for Christ's millennial reign and the Vatican who condemns it as a doctrine of Antichrist (as it was Bishop Ratzinger, now called Pope Benedict XVI, who has been at the forefront of strongly condemning the millennial message, see Did The Early Church Teach Millenarianism? for details).

Now there were also other Catholics that seem to foretell of the end time coming soon.

While some Roman Catholics dislike Nostradamus, others recognize him as an Roman Catholic prophet. In the 16th century, Nostradamus wrote:

Under the sign of Libra, America shall reign, Shall hold power in the sky and on land, Shall never perish under Asian forces, Until seven Pontificates have passed. (Dupont, p.94)

Comment: As a great world power, the U.S.A. began its "reign" during the first World War--but it was not the greatest world power; in 1918, that was France. In 1945, however, the U.S.A. was, by and large, the greatest world power. I think it is from the reign of Pius XII that the seven Pontificates must be counted, and this brings us to the last Pope according to St. Malachy's list--when the world will end. (comment from Dupont personally, p.94)

Anyway, it appears that the above private prophecy suggests that the end of the USA will thus be in the 21st century as there, theoretically are no one pontiffs left on Malachy's list. And as far as Asian forces go, this could be interpreted to include terrorists from places like Afghanistan and others parts of Asia (though another translation seems to lead to a differing conclusion).

Also, even if one ignores Nostradamus and simply looks at the Malachy list, there are no popes theoretically left on that list. Notice what E. Culligan wrote:

St. Malachy named all the popes from the year 1130 to the end of time…He said there would be 262 popes from his day until the end of time.  On St. Malachy’s 1966 schedule, we will only have four more popes to follow Paul. (Culligan, p. 118)

Since 1966, there was John Paul I, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI.

Since Pope Benedict XVI submitted his resignation effective 2/28/2013, the final pope on the Malachy list would reign in the 21st century. Hence, the Malachy list--if complete--clearly indicates the end of all pontiffs by the middle of the 21st century (more on Malachy and his list are found later in this article).

Also notice:

Sister Ludmilla of Prague (cir. 1250): Hardly three generations will pass after the world war, when one will also endeavor to prevent the Pope from exercising his sacred office, which will be a sign that the fall of Rome and the end of the world is near (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 131).

Now, if a generation is 20 years, and if WWII is the world war (which ended in 1945), then shortly after 2005 will be near the end of the world. If a generation is 40 years, and if WWI in the world war (which ended in 1918), then shortly after 2038 will be near the end of the world.

Since WWII was more of a global world war, it is likely that this would be the war--the question is how long is a generation supposed to be in this context? And that is not completely clear.

Yet, even if it a generation is supposed to be 20 or 40 years or something in-between, that Catholic predictor (Ludmilla of Prague) seem to be indicating the end in the 21st century.

Getting back to Malachy's list, here is what he wrote in Latin about the last pope on his list:

In persecutione extrema SRE sedebit. Petrus Romanus, quipascet oves in multis tribulationibus: quibus transactis civitas septicollis diruetur, et Iudex tremendus iudicabit populum suum. Finis. (Gurugé A. The Next Pope. Anura Guruge, 2010, p. 221)

Here is some of what a Catholic writer commented about that:

There are many, around the world, who, thanks to this prophecy, are totally convinced that the next pope will indeed call himself 'Peter'--most not considering or caring what the implications of this could be.

In the considered opinion of the author, it is highly improbable that the next pope will be 'Petrus Romanus' or even 'Petrus II.'

For a start, given the Last Judgment implications, many respected Catholic sources have tried to point out, for quite a long time, that the pope talked about in motto 112 does not have to necessarily be the pope who follows the one described by motto 111; this 111th pope now being the current pope, Benedict XVI (#266). The justification for this "hedging' is that the mottos were not numbered in de Wyon's 1595 Lignum Vitae. The numbering, to facilitate manageability, came later. Consequently, it can be contented that the author of this prophecy, whoever it was, did not necessarily mean that the pope described in the last motto would come immediately after the one identified in the previous motto. Basically, the last, very long, atypical motto describes the last pope. This last pope may come to be at a much later time--with an indeterminate number of intervening popes between him and the one described by motto 111. Therefore, this last motto may not actually apply to the next pope, in which case, the expectation of 'Petrus Romanus' becomes mute.

But what the proponents of the 'Petrus Romanus' belief do not appear to appreciate is that the next pope, by the sheer necessity of the duties confronting him, is not going to be naive. Naiveté...is not a characteristic that one readily associates with today's cardinals. They know the ways of the world and are world politic. There will be none amongst them who is not familiar with the Malachy prophecy. They all understand what the ramifications would be if the next pope surprised them all by stating that he will be called 'Petrus Secundus.'

The protodeacon announcing 'Petrus Secundus' from the balcony of St. Peter's would be worse than shouting 'fire' in a crowded theater. There would be mayhem in what is likely to be another jam-packed St. Peter's Square. People would panic. There could be a stampede, people could get hurt. The authorities in Rome and the Italian government would be forced to take immediate action to quell the understandable alarm. It would be considered, quite rightly, a security threat! For the first time in over a century there could be troops, Italian, NATO or both, surrounding the Vatican. There would be no celebrations, The Urbi et Orbi blessing, if it was to take place, would be viewed with understandable askance.

It is difficult to imagine the next pope doing anything this reckless. It is difficult to envision the cardinal electors permitting him to do anything this reckless. Hence, it is extremely unlikely that the next pope will be 'Petrus Secundus,' let alone 'Petrus Romanus.' If he is, head for the hills, and hope for the best. (Gurugé, pp. 221-223)

Now, I agreed in the past that the new Pope Francis (who could be the last pope) did not need to chose the name Peter II or anything similar--but that does not mean that he could not fulfill that prophecy. It needs to be clear that last pope will be a destructive antipope. Malachy's list did not name pontiffs, but give descriptions. And while some have concluded that Petrus Romanus is a name, it could be a description. The description could signify that he is a pebble (or "rocky" which is what the term petrus signifies) supporting the final Roman empire.

More on the Malachy prophecies can be found in the article The Malachy Prophecies and "Peter the Roman"; information related to Pope Francis is included in a YouTube video titled . There is also a new book available titled The Last Pope Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis I? and it is available at Amazon Kindle: The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis I? Kindle.

Notice also:

Petrus Romanus, Peter of Rome...

"In persecutione extrema sacrae Romanae ecclesiae sedebit Petrus Romanus qui pascet ores in multis tribulationibus; quibus transactis, civitas septicollis diruetur; et Judex tremendus judicabit populum."...

It would be strange indeed if the last Pope were Peter the Roman, second of his name — St. Peter, on whom the Church was built, having been the first. Will history repeat itself, and will the crumbling of the Eternal City coincide thus with preceden is furnished by the names of Romulus Augustulus and the fall of the Roman Empire, and Constantine Dracoceses and the fall of the Empire founded by Constantine the Great? (De Nevers M. THE NEXT POPE. WHO WILL SUCCEED LEO XIII.? THE STRANGE PROPHECIES OF ST. MALACHY. The Pall Mall magazine, Volume 25. George Routledge & Sons, Ltd., 1901. Original from Princeton University, Digitized May 15, 2008, p. 168)

But Pope Francis could possibly (not likely) be the last pope, and as the above writer indicated, he did not have to use Peter as part of his name.

Notice also:

G. Rossi (1873): We must observe that St. Malachy does not mention the last Pope as a distinct person from the preceding one, whom he styles Glory of the Olive. He merely says, “During the last persecution of the Church, Peter II, a Roman, shall reign. He shall feed the flock in many tribulations, at the end of which the City of the Seven Hills (Rome) will be destroyed, and the awful Judge shall judge his people.” According to St. Malachy, then, only ten, or at most eleven, popes remain to be in future more or less legitimately elected. We say more or less legitimately elected, because out of those future popes it is to be feared that one or two will be unlawfully elected as anti-popes. (Rossi, p. 139)

Since the Bible tells of of the time of the end of the City of Seven Hills/Mountains (Revelation 17:9-18 New Living Translation/DRB), these events may end up being related.

The following does not state a year, but given the finanical crises around the world, seems to be pointing to the 21st century:

Ven. Magdalene Porsat (19th century): It is now twenty-six years since I announced to you the seven crises, the seven wounds and sorrows of Mary which should have to precede her triumph and our cure, namely: 1. Inclemencies of seasons and inundations; 2. Diseases to animals and plants; 3. Cholera over men; 4. Revolutions; 5. Wars; 6. An universal bankruptcy; 7. Confusion. (Rossi, p. 134)

The universal bankruptcy caught my attention in the above. The possibility of several nations going bankrupt has been in the news a lot lately--and even more recently, the credit-worthiness of the USA has been brought into question.

Catholic Prophecies About the Secret Sect

There are also other Roman Catholic prophecies that state that the beginning of the end will occur in the 20th century, but that also refer to a group that is a problem for the Catholics, that some call the "secret sect":

Ven. Sor Marianne de Jesus Torres (17th Century)...

Our Lady told Sister Marianee: "...But this knowledge will only become known to the general public in the 20th Century.

"During this epoch the Church will find herself attacked by waves of the secret sect...

"Know, beloved daughter, that when your name is made known in the 20th Century, there will be many who do not believe, claiming this devotion is not pleasing to God..." (Birch, pp. 317,326) .

Nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (about 1820): "I heard that Lucifer (if I don't mistake) will be freed again for awhile fifty or sixty years before the year 2000 A.D. I have forgotten many of the other dates were told (Emmerich AC. The Life of Lord Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations. Schmöger edition, Vol. IV. Nihil Obstat: D. Jaegher, 14 Februari 1914. Imprimatur: A.C. De Schrevel, Brugis, 14 Februari 1914. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 2004, pp. 353-354).

I believe that the Philadelphia-portion of the COG is the secret sect that is being discussed above and that we have affected the Roman Catholics in waves, starting with Herbert W. Armstrong (HWA)--who put out the Plain Truth magazine for between 50-60 years before 2000 A.D. (specifically from February 1934 until his death in January 1986; he also was on radio and/or television from October 9, 1933 until his death). And thus, I suspect that it may have been Herbert W. Armstrong, that the demons had Nun Emmerich falsely identify as Lucifer.

Notice also:

Jeanne le Royer (d.1798): “My Father, God has manifested to me the malice of Lucifer, and the perverse and diabolical intentions of his emissaries (secret societies) and the Holy Church of Jesus Christ.  At the command of their master these wicked men have traversed the earth like furies, with the intention to prepare the way and place for Anti-Christ whose reign is approaching…They have succeeded in confounding all sound principles, and spreading everywhere such darkness as to obscure the light both of faith and of reason…” (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. 179).

The Worldwide Church of God, Continuing Church of God, etc. have traversed the earth to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God. As far as darkness goes, the Bible tells of this happening NOT before the arrival of the reign of Antichrist, but of Jesus.

1 Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. 2 And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. (Revelation 9:1-2)

29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)

Consider that it is JESUS who comes with the sounding of the seventh angel, which, obviously is not too long after the sounding of the fifth angel. Catholic prophecies sometimes discuss three days of darkness.

Blessed Gaspar Del Bufalo (19th century): "The death of the impenitent persecutors of the Church will take place during the three days of darkness. He who outlives the darkness and the fear of these three days will think that he is alone on earth because the whole world will be covered with carcasses." (Dupont, p. 79)

Sr. Mary of Jesus Crucified (19th century):"All states will be shaken by war and civil conflict. During a darkness lasting three days the people given to evil ways will perish so that only one-fourth of mankind will survive." https://catholicprophecy.org/sr-mary-of-jesus-crucified/

This may be a different three days that Nun Emmerich discussed. Most of humankind will NOT survive the Great Tribulation and Day of the Lord. It may be that during one or more times of coming darkness, Greco-Roman supporters may think this knowledge will help get them through the days.

Here is something about a pontiff who had a vision in 1884:

Pope Leo XIII had a vision of a confrontation between God and Satan. Pope Leo was made to understand that would be allowed one hundred years to tempt and try to destroy the Church. In the vision, Satan chose for his one hundred years the Twentieth Century (Flynn, pp. 4-5).

Pope Leo XIII had a remarkable vision. When the aged Pontiff had finished celebrating Mass in his private Vatican Chapel, attended by a few Cardinals and members of the Vatican staff, he suddenly stopped at the foot of the altar. He stood there for about 10 minutes, as if in a trance, his face ashen white. Then, going immediately from the Chapel to his office, he composed the prayer to St. Michael, with instructions it be said after all Low Masses everywhere. When asked what had happened, he explained that, as he was about to leave the foot of the altar, he suddenly heard voices - two voices, one kind and gentle, the other guttural and harsh. They seemed to come from near the tabernacle. As he listened, he heard the following conversation:

The guttural voice, the voice of Satan in his pride, boasting to Our Lord: "I can destroy your Church"

The gentle voice of Our Lord: "You can? Then go ahead and do so."

Satan: "To do so, I need more time and more power."

Our Lord: "How much time? How much power?

Satan: "75 to 100 years, and a greater power over those who will give themselves over to my service."

Our Lord: "You have the time, you will have the power. Do with them what you will." (The Vision Of Pope Leo XIII, October 13, 1884. http://www.stjosephschurch.net/leoxiii.htm viewed 02/25/09)

If the 20th century was meant, then the above vision that the Pope claimed was completely false (as opposed to being a mirror image of God's plan). In order for the above to fit in with other private prophecies, it would probably need to be interpreted that the 75 to 100 years started about the same time as the timeframe that Nun Emmerich indicated. If so, then the 75 years ended in 2008, and the outside date would be about 2033. Hence, unless this Pope had it completely wrong, the end is fairly soon.

Eventually, I believe that we in the Philadelphia portion of the COG will eventually be perceived to have attacked the Roman Catholic Church with two rather large waves in the near future (in addition to the waves under Herbert W. Armstrong in the 20th century). One just before it is time to flee (see There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra), which may trigger the persecution in Daniel 11:32-35 and Revelation 12:13-15 (see Persecutions by Church and State) and the other will be the two witnesses (Revelation 11:3-12) (see also Who Are The Two Witnesses?).

Michel De Nostradamus may have also prophesied about the persecution of the COG:

Michel De Nostredame (Michael of our Lady...died in 1566). "The holy people of God, the keepers of His law, and all the religious orders shall be grievously persecuted and afflicted, so much that the blood of the true ecclesiastics shall flow all over. (Dupont, p.101)

The above "prophecy" may be one of the few that refers to the "keepers of the law" in a positive light--we who are truly in the true Church of God are the holy people of God (cf. 1 Peter 1:16-16; 2:9) and we do keep the law (see also The Ten Commandments and the Early Church). But persecution will occur and the blood of some COG leaders is expected to flow (see also Persecutions by Church and State). Presuming Nostradamus' prophecy is referring to part of the COG, that is not that far-fetched as even Balaam prophesied some truth about the children of Israel (c.f. Numbers 24:1-9).

There are also several centuries old prophecies from Anna-Katarina Emmerick, a nun who was a stigmatic (an Roman Catholic term for someone with some of "the wounds of Jesus" on them, she also allegedly had a cross on her chest) that may involve the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God and/or separated COGs as "the secret sect":

Anna-Katarina Emmerick...Blessed Sister Emmerick was an Augustinian nun. She was born in Germany in 1774...

"Once more I saw that the Church of Peter was undermined by a plan evolved by the secret sect, while storms were damaging it. But I saw also that help was coming when distress had reached its peak. I saw again the Blessed Virgin ascend on the Church and spread her mantle [over it]. I saw a Pope who was at once gentle, and very firm...I saw a great renewal, and the Church rose high in the sky." (Dupont, p.60)

Anne Catherine Emmerich: May 13, 1820...I saw again the present Pope and the dark church of his time in Rome. It seemed to be a large, old house like a town-hall with columns in front. I saw no altar in it, but only benches, and in the middle of it something like a pulpit. They had preaching and singing, but nothing else, and only very few attended it...The whole church was draped in black, and all that took place in it was shrouded in gloom...I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church ; I saw it increase ; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever-increasing trepidity of the clergy , the circle of darkness ever widening...Again I saw in vision St. Peter's undermined according to a plan devised by the secret sect whilst, at the same time, it was damaged by storms; but it was delivered at the moment of greatest distress. (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp. 277,279-281).

October, 1820. Sister Emmerich's labors at this time were constantly directed to the welfare of the Church which, as usual, she beheld typified by St. Peter's, at Rome. The secret society, with its world-wide ramifications engaged against ceaseless war against the Bride of Christ, was shown to her as the empire of Antichrist symbolized by the beast in the Apocalypse rising out of the sea and fomenting attacks upon the flock of Christ.

In relating this vision, the Pilgrim makes the following remarks: "It is, indeed, full of breaks, for the invalid saw it under allegorical representations difficult for her to describe. What is most astonishing, is that it touches upon many points of the Apocalypse of St. John, of which humanly speaking she must have been wholly ignorant, as she has very little knowledge of the Holy Scriptures or of any other book. If, at times, she seems to read, it is with a mind deeply absorbed in contemplation and she sees very different things from those discussed in the volume before her. The vision is, as follows:

'I see new martyrs, not of the present but of the future, though even now they are oppressed. I saw the secret society undermining the great church (St. Peter's) and near them a horrible beast that arose out of the sea. It had a tail like a fish, claws like a lion, and numberless heads that lay like a crown around one large head; its jaws were large and red, its body spotted like a tiger. It was very familiar with the demolishers, lying near them whilst they worked, and, again, concealing itself in a cave. Here and there throughout the whole world I saw many good, pious people, especially ecclesiastics, harassed, imprisoned, and oppressed, and I felt that at some future day, they would be martyred. When the church was well-nigh overturned, the choir and altar alone remaining untouched, I saw the demolishers thronging into it accompanied by the beast. But they encountered a tall, majestic female who seemed to be with child for she walked very slowly. The wretches were filled with affright on seeing her and the beast lay paralyzed, furiously darting its head toward her, as if to devour her; but she turned and fell prostrate on her face. Then I saw the beast fleeing to the sea, the enemy hurrying off in disorder, and immense circles of combatants surrounding the church, some on the earth, others high in the air. The first circle was composed of youths and maidens; the second, of married persons of all classes from royalty down; the third, of religious; the fourth, of warriors, led by a rider on a white horse; and the fifth, and last was made up of citizens and peasants, many of whom were marked on the forehead with a red cross. As this army drew near, the captives and oppressed were delivered and swelled the ranks whilst the demolishers and conspirators were put to flight on all sides. They were, without knowing how, gathered together into one confused mass in the midst of a dense fog; they knew neither what they did nor what they ought to do; and they ran pell-mell against one another, as I so often see them. Then I saw the church speedily rebuilt and more magnificent than before, for its defenders brought stones from all parts of the earth. When the most distant circles drew near, the nearest withdrew to make way for them. The former appeared to represent the various labors of prayer; the latter, the soldiers, the deeds of war. I saw among these last friends and enemies of all nations, simply soldiers like our own and dressed like them. They did not form a perfect circle, but a crescent opening toward the north into an immense dark abyss like a chasm, a precipice, like a descent into darkness, like that to which Adam was driven from Paradise. I felt that a region of darkness lay beyond. I saw that some out of these circles remained behind. They would not advance, but stood gloomily huddled together. I saw some also who would one day be martyred for Jesus; but there were many wicked people among them, and another separation was to take place.--The church was completely restored. Above it on a mountain, was the Lamb of God surrounded by a troop of virgins with palm-branches, and five circles of celestial cohorts corresponding to the five circles below. They all arrived together, and all acted in concert. Around the Lamb stood the four mysterious beasts of the Apocalypse" (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp. 290-291).

Sept. 12, 1820. "I saw a strange church being built against every rule ... No angels were supervising the building operations. In that church, nothing came from high above ... There was only division and chaos. (Dupont, p.61)

But there (in the strange big church) all the work was being done mechanically (i.e. according to set rules and formulae). Everything was being done according to human reason ... (Dupont, p.61)

"I saw all sorts of people, things, doctrines, and opinions. There was something proud, presumptuous, and violent about it, and they seemed to be very successful. I did not see a single Angel nor a single saint helping in the work. (Dupont, p.61)

August to October 1820. "I see more martyrs, not now but in the future...I saw the secret sect relentlessly undermining the great Church. (Dupont, p.62)

August to October 1820. "When the Church had been for the most part destroyed (By the secret sect), and when only the sanctuary and altar were still standing. (Dupont, p.62)

June 1, 1821. "Then, I saw the everything that pertained to Protestantism was gradually gaining the upper hand, and the Catholic religion fell into complete decadence. (Dupont, p.68)

October 22, 1822. "Very bad times will come when non-Catholics will lead many people astray. (Dupont, p.71)

I believe that some of the above apply to Philadelphians in particular (e.g. it will flee per Revelation 12:14 & Matthew 24:20; see There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians), and others include the COGs in general. I specifically believe that the works and plans of leader of the Philadelphia remnant in the Continuing Church of God will be considered as undermining the revising/changing Roman Catholic Church: specifically "restoring all things" that were part of "Apostolic" or "original" Christianity"(I bolded the expression red cross above because this seems to be a symbol associated with the Great Monarch, cf. Culleton, p. 159).

Now while some of the above private prophecies can be considered to include Protestants, nearly all of them apply to the COG and several cannot possibly apply to Protestants (they are not small enough to be considered to be a "secret sect"). It should also be noted that although the genuine Church of God is not Protestant, certain Roman Catholics basically consider us to be a Protestant sect (for a starting point on details on why we in the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God best represent the original church, please see The History of Early Christianity and Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Genuine Church of God?).

Also notice that Anna-Katarina Emmerick foretells that a secret sect relentlessly undermines that Catholic Church, that it will harm the Catholic Church, and that the Catholics generally believe this is bad.

I suspect that all of this may end up being a partial fulfillment of Matthew 24:14-16:

14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. 15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains...

While the two witnesses lead to the final witness and the final end, the old Worldwide Church of God (WCG) correctly taught that the preaching of the gospel by the Philadelphia portion of the Church ends about when it goes to the place of safety (see What is the Laodicean Church? Good News, August 1959, p.12, which is quoted in There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra). And this time is coming fairly soon.

What may happen is that part of the COG's preaching may be so powerfully effective for a while (completely fulfilling Matthew 24:14 and Romans 9:28) that the revising Roman Catholic Church will experience suffering from a little group that it did not really know existed--that is perhaps why we are called "the secret sect". (I strongly suspect that the Philadelphia remnant of the COG will get a lot of media attention for its positions on the King of the North, once that individual starts to become obvious to some in the COG, but not the world in general--who not tend to place that sinister moniker on him.)

This effective preaching may lead to the events in Daniel 11:31-35 including the persecution of the Philadelphians. But it will also lead to reprisals by the revised Roman Catholics, that will eventually affect others (including ultimately the non-Philadelphian COGs; cf. Revelation 12:17).

The following private prophecies support the idea of reprisals from the changed Roman and Orthodox Catholics and that we in the true Church of God are rendered inconsequential:

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (died 1837): "On this terrible occasion so many of these wicked men--enemies of His Church and of their God--shall be killed by this divine scourge that their corpses round Rome will be as numerous as the fish which a recent inundation of the Tiber had carried into the city. All the enemies of the church, secret as well as known, will perish over the whole earth during that universal darkness, with the exception of the some few, whom god will soon after convert. The air shall be infected with demons, who will appear under all sorts of hideous forms. (Connor, p.26)

St. Andrew the Fool-for-Christ (4th century): ...the remaining ones will be annihilated, they will be burned to death and they will die a cruel death. (Tzima Otto, p. 113)

Anne Catherine Emmerich (Purification day 1822) "I saw during the last few days marvelous things connected with the Church. St. Peter's was almost entirely destroyed by the sect, but their labors were, in turn, rendered fruitless and all that belonged to them, their aprons and tools, burned by the executioners on the public place of infamy. They were made of horse-leather, and the stench from them was so offensive that it made me quite sick..." (Schmöger Carl E. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Volume 2. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourgh Peter Joseph. TAN Books, reprint 1976, p.292)

The horse-leather stench comment may be referring to some of true Christians people being burnt up. And this seems to be prophesied in the Book of Daniel:

Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered (Daniel 11:33, NIV).

Hence, that burning sadly is a "Catholic" private prophecy that will, to some degree, come to pass.

Notice also the following:

Priest Paul Kramer (2011): The Church will be renewed in the spendor of her traditions...the Neo-Pagan Masonic 'mystery of iniquity' (2 Thes 2:7) -- will be crushed under the heel of Her who is "terrible as an army set in battle array" (Canticle 6:3, 9) (Kramer P. Only She can help you! The Fatima Crusader, 99, Summer 2011, p. 35)

And while the Church of God is NOT "Neo-Pagan" nor Masonic, because we sometimes rent Masonic halls for our church services (in some locations because of availability and cost considerations) this may be considered as "proof" to the persecutors that we are "Masonic enough" to fulfill certain of predictions.

The following private prophecy that mentions secret societies and a particular false religion would seem to specifically apply to those in the true Church of God:

JANE LE ROYER (d. 1798)
SISTER MARY OF THE NATIVITY

"Many precursors, false prophets, and members of infernal secret societies, worshippers of Satan, shall impugn the most sacred dogmas and doctrines of our holy religion, shall persecute the faithful, shall commit abominable actions; but THE REAL AND EXTREME ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION SHALL MORE FULLY BE ACCOMPLISHED DURING THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST, which will last about three years and a half.

"Thereupon I saw a great power rising up against the Church...After desecrating the celibate and suppressing monasticism, this power boldly confiscated the properties of the Church and at the same time usurped the powers of the pope, whose person and laws they condemned...

"When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear which be opposed to the unity of God and His Church. This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more darkness of Satan will spread on Earth, the greater will be the number of children of corruption, and the number of Just will correspondingly diminish.

"Antichrist will kill the pope (Culligan, pp.127,128)

Now the above suggests that secret societies will impugn the most sacred dogmas and doctrines of the Catholic religion, and before Jesus (who they sometimes seem to identify as the Antichrist, see Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?) comes, a false religion will "appear" that is "opposed to the unity of God and His Church"--this apparently group with ties to the original apostles that does not accept the trinitarian formula adopted and enforced under the authority of Emperor Theodosius in 381 A.D.

It should be noted that contrary to the claims of Jane Le Royer, there is no scripture in the Bible that suggests that "Antichrist will kill the pope."

Furthermore, the one certain "Catholic" prophets refer to as Antichrist is probably Jesus (see also Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?) as He is the the one who put puts the antipope, the false prophet (cf. Revelation 19:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:8), into the lake of fire where he dies according to even a major Catholic-approved translation of the New Testament into English:

20. When the beast was apprehended, and with him the false prophet: which wrought signs before him, wherewith he seduced them that took the character of the beast, and that adored his image. These two were cast alive into the pool of fire burning also with brimstone. (Apocalypse 19:20, RNT).

Hence, the Bible is clear that the false prophet is killed by God. There is no hint in the Bible that "the Antichrist will kill the pope" (nor are there popes mentioned in the Bible, see also What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History?).

Here is another translation of part of Jeanne le Royer private Roman Catholic prophecy, as well as a part that was missing above, which seems to involve the banishing of the secret sect:

Jeanne le Royer (Sister of the Nativity). "When the reign of Antichrist draws near, a false religion will appear which will deny the unity of God and will oppose the Church. Errors will cause ravages as never before. (Dupont, p.58)

Jeanne le Royer (Sister of the Nativity). "All the false cults will be abolished. (Dupont, p.56)

So a group that some "Catholics" will consider as false will appear, deny "the unity of God", and eventually be abolished.

What kind of group claiming Christianity denies the "unity of God"? Well, none. But the one that comes to mind would be one that denies the 381 A.D. definition of the unity of God.

In other Catholic writings, it is the doctrine of the trinity that they adopted in 381 that is linked with the unity of God. Notice some examples:

We find it again with still greater authority in the letter of Pope St. Dionysius to his namesake, the Bishop of Alexandria (see Athan., "De decret. Nic. syn.", 26, in P.G., XXV, 461-65): "They lie as to the generation of the Lord who dare to say that His Divine and ineffable generation is a creation. We must not divide the admirable and Divine unity into three divinities, we must not lower the dignity and sovereign grandeur of the Lord by the word creation, but we must believe in God the Father omnipotent, in Christ Jesus His Son, and in the Holy Ghost, we must unite the Word to the God of the universe, for He has said: 'I and the Father are one', and again: 'I am in the Father, and the Father in me'. Thus we protect the Divine Trinity, and the holy avowal of the monarchy [unity of God]." (Lebreton, Jules. "The Logos." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 9. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 11 Dec. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09328a.htm>)

But it is necessary first to indicate in what consisted the transition effected by St. Augustine . This may be summed up in three points: He views the Divine Nature as prior to the Personalities. * Deus is for him not God the Father, but the Trinity. This was a step of the first importance, safeguarding as it did alike the unity of God and the equality of the Persons in a manner which the Greek system could never do. (Joyce, George. "The Blessed Trinity." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1912. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 11 Dec. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm>)

Catholics use the idea of the trinity to describe God. By that we mean that God is a unity, one God, but within that unity of God there is a three-“person” relationship. (God Stories. Copyright © 2004 St. John the Evangelist Church, http://www.stjohnrcia.com/journey/jof_god.asp viewed 02/10/09)

Question 11. The unity of God...Bernard says (De Consid. v): "Among all things called one, the unity of the Divine Trinity holds the first place." (Aquinas T. The Summa Theologica of St. Thomas Aquinas Second and Revised Edition, 1920 Literally translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province Online Edition Copyright © 2008 by Kevin Knight Nihil Obstat. F. Innocentius Apap, O.P., S.T.M., Censor. Theol. Imprimatur. Edus. Canonicus Surmont, Vicarius Generalis. Westmonasterii. APPROBATIO ORDINIS Nihil Obstat. F. Raphael Moss, O.P., S.T.L. and F. Leo Moore, O.P., S.T.L. Imprimatur. F. Beda Jarrett, O.P., S.T.L., A.M., Prior Provincialis Angliæ)

In the various conciliar definitions regarding the Trinity of Persons in God, emphasis is laid on the unity of the Divine nature; see, e.g., Fourth Council of Lateran (1215), in Denzinger-Bannwart, "Enchiridion", 428. (Aiken, Charles Francis. "Monotheism." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 10 Feb. 2009 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10499a.htm>.)

The refrain of “Sing Praise to Our Creator” is:

Praise the Holy Trinity, undivided Unity,
Holy God, Mighty God, God Immortal be adored.

The words of this melodious hymn speak of the unity of the Trinity. Yes, three distinct Persons—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—but only one God Who is “holy,” “mighty,” and “immortal.”

The third verse of “Holy God, We Praise Thy Name” is especially Trinitarian:

Holy Father, Holy Son, Holy Spirit, Three We Name Thee,
While in essence only One, undivided God we claim Thee.
And adoring bend the knee, while we own the Mystery,
And adoring bend the knee, while we own the Mystery.

Again, we recall the unity of God, Who is three Persons in one God. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are distinct but equal and united.

We are constantly reminded of the Most Blessed Trinity...

Unity in the Church is in some real sense derived from the unity in the Most Blessed Trinity. (Msgr. Charles M. Mangan, he currently works in Rome as a member of the Vatican's Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and for Societies of Apostolic Life. United in the Trinity. Sunday Homilies Feed Your Sou. Catholics United For the Faith, Sunday, May 18, 2008. http://www.cuf.org/homilies/archive/051808.asp viewed 02/10/09)

Of course, we in the true Church of God have long opposed the Theodosius Council trinity. Hence the "false religion" in the prophecy can only be referring to a groups like the Continuing Church of God (it should be noted that the CCOG does believe in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and holds a view of the Godhead more akin to that held by the Roman Bishop Liberius in the mid-4th century than to the Theodosius Council). And recall that we, according to Nun Jeanne le Royer, "appear" just before Antichrist.

While we in the Continuing Church of God are not the only ones who can write books that some Roman Catholics disapprove of as a false religion, as it gets closer to the end, I believe that our writings will be perceived as a serious threat to the changing Roman Catholic Church as we claim ties to the original apostles and have kept the faith of the original Christians without change (for many details, please see Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God?).

Further, notice these prophesies:

Anne Catherine Emmerich January 27, 1822 Then my guide exhorted me anew to pray and, as far as I could, to incite others to pray for sinners and especially for erring priests. 'Very evil times are coming,' he said. 'The non-Catholics will mislead many. They will use every possible means to entice them from the Church, and great disturbances will follow.' (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, p. 348)

Note: "My guide (Jesus)" (Dupont, p. 68).

Nursing Nun of Bellay (died 1820): "All these things shall come to pass once the wicked have succeeded in circulating large numbers of bad books." (Dupont, p.51)

Trappistine Nun of Notre Dame des Gardes. "Chastisement will come when a very large number of bad books have been spread" (Dupont, p 114).

Abbe Voclin (19th century). "People will speak only of money. Horrible books will be freely available. Intellectuals will argue fiercely among themselves. Then war will break out that will see the rise of the Great Monarch" (Dupont, p. 114).

We in the COG will likely make more books/booklets that will be perceived to fulfill the above--and even some existing COG materials may be considered to be in that category by them relatively soon.

Furthermore, some Roman Catholic prophecy suggests that someone will attempt the attack the Roman Catholic Church at its very foundations during a time that seems to parallel the "minor chastisement" that many of them believe will happen before the ecumenical Roman Catholic Church truly gains it major end-time prominence.

The following may be how some "prophets" interpret some of what we in the COG are doing (we seem to be called " impious blasphemers" below, and any of our leaders who were once Catholic would also be in the "heretical persons" category according to the Church of Rome) and how Satan (who they refer at least once refer to as "God" below), may punish us with demons:

Elizabeth Canori-Mora (died 1825): "All men shall rise one against the other, and they shall kill one another without pity. During this sanguinary conflict the avenging arm of God will strike the wicked, and in His mighty power He will punish their pride and presumption. God will employ the powers of {Hades} for the extermination of these impious and heretical persons who desire to overthrow the Church and destroy it to its very foundation. These presumptuous men in their mad impiety believe that they can overthrow God from His throne; but the Lord will despise these artifices, and through an effect of His Mighty Hand He will punish these impious blasphemers by giving permission to the infernal spirits to come out from Haydes. Innumerable legions of demons shall overrun the earth, and shall execute the orders of Divine Justice by causing terrible calamities and disaster; they shall attack everything; they shall devastate property and alimentary productions, cities and villages. Nothing on earth shall be spared. God will allow the demons to strike with death those impious men because they gave themselves up to the infernal powers and had formed with them a compact against the Catholic Church. (Connor, pp.22-23)

Elizabeth Canori-Mora (died 1825): God will use the powers of darkness in order to root out the followers of the Sects and godless who want to shake and destroy the foundation of the Church . . . They will be punished by the cruelty of demons and die a tragic death. Hereupon the grand triumph of the Catholic Church will follow (Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 160).

Venerable Maria of Agreda (died 1665): It was revealed to me that through the intercession of the Mother of God that all heresies will disappear. This victory over heresies has been reserved by Christ by His Blessed Mother. In the last times the Lord will especially spread the reknown of His Mother: Mary began salvation and by her intercession it will be concluded. Before the second coming of Christ Mary must, more than ever, shine in mercy, might and grace in order to bring unbelievers into the Catholic Faith. The powers of Mary in the last time will extend the reign of Christ over the heathen and the Mohammedans and it will be a time of great joy when Mary, as Mistress and Queen of Hearts, is enthroned. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 173)

Thus, certain "Catholic" prophets (others are mentioned in other parts of this paper) believe that God will use demons to punish His enemies and that cruelty from demons against the enemies of the ecumenical Catholic Church leads to its triumph.

Lest anyone think that I have been overly presumptuous about a portion of the Church of God being portrayed as a "secret sect" by certainCatholics, notice the following 19th century quote, which I found by accident, some time after I originally wrote this section of the paper (two translations are provided as I found it in two sources):

“In the Middle Ages, the Popes and Councils were successful in destroying the Jewish revolutionary movements which appeared within Christianity in the form of false teaching and which were introduced by seeming Christians but by Jews in secret. The latter then recruited upright and good Christians for the arising heretical movement by persuading the latter in a crafty way.“The secret Jews organized and controlled in secret manner the movements, which were the creative and driving-force of wicked false teachings, such as those of the ‘Catarensers,’ of the ‘Patarines,’ of the ‘Albignensians,’ of the ‘Hussites,’ of the ‘Illuminati’ and others.” (The Plot Against the Church, p.236).

In the Middle Ages, the Popes and the Councils were successful in destroying the Jewish revolutionary movements which appeared within Christianity in the form of false teaching and which were introduced by those who were Christians in appearance but Jews in secret. The latter then recruited upright and good Christians for the arising heretical movement by persuading the latter in a crafty way.

The secret Jews organised and controlled in secret manner the movements, which were the creative and driving force of wicked false teachings, such as those of the Iconoclasts, the Cathars, the Patarines, the Albigensians, the Hussites, the Alumbrados and others. (Pinay, Maurice. The Plot Against the Church, Part Four Chapter One. Translated from the German and Spanish editions of the same work. 1962).

Hence, some claiming Roman Catholicism have considered some of the ancestors (like some of the Cathars and Albigenses, see The Thyatira Church Era) of the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God to have been a secret Jewish group (this probably is because even though true Christians profess Christ, they also keep the Sabbath and have other practices that many Catholics consider to be Jewish; cf. Revelation 3:9-10; 14:12).

Also notice from the same Catholic book:

The work of these Jews smuggled as a “Fifth Column” into the bosom of the Church of Christ was made easier through their hypocritical conversion to Christianity or that of their forefathers. In addition, they laid aside their Jewish surnames and took on very Christian names, which were embellished with the surnames of their godfathers. Thus they were successful in mixing with Christian society and taking possession of the names of the leading families of France, Italy, England, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Poland and the other lands of Christian Europe. With this system, they were successful in penetrating into the bosom of Christianity itself, in order to conquer it from within and to destroy the core of the religious, political and economic institutions.

The network of secret Jews existing in Mediaeval Europe passed on in secret manner the Jewish belief from fathers to children, even if all openly led a Christian life and filled their houses with crucifixes and images of Catholic saints. In general they observed Christianity in an ostentatious manner and appeared most devout, in order not to arouse any suspicion. (Pinay, Maurice. The Plot Against the Church, Part Four Chapter One. Translated from the German and Spanish editions of the same work. 1962. American Edition, St. Anthony Press, Los Angeles, California, 1967. Online version 5/12/07).

Hence some Catholic writers have also felt that perhaps some of our Thyatira-era ancestors penetrated the core of their "Christianity."

Notice these quotes from the same book states (bolding mine):

In order to combat not only the tentacles of the octopus, which the heretical revolutions in the Middle Ages represented, but the head itself, the Holy Catholic Church resorted to different methods, amongst which the Holy Office of the Inquisition, so slandered by Jewish propaganda, stands out on account of its importance,. This organisation was intended to eliminate the false doctrines and to give the death blow to the secret power of Jewry, which directed and stirred up the same. Thanks to the Inquisition, Holy Church was able to overthrow Jewry and for several centuries to hold up the catastrophe that now hovers threateningly over mankind; for several of the so-called false doctrines were already revolutionary movements of the same kind of scope and pretensions as those of recent times, and they not only fought to destroy the church of Rome, but also to destroy all princes and to destroy the existing social order in favour of Jewry...

It is important to mention the fact that the Inquisition which functioned in Rome was, of course, the Holy Papal Inquisition whose serviceable activity was successful in the Middle Ages in holding up the progress of the apocalyptic beast of the Antichrist...

Jesus Himself despised the Jews, because He was a Galilean. Unfortunately, the Samaritans, Galileans and the other inhabitants of Palestine were ruined by assimilation into modern Jewry, with the exception of those who had already previously been converted to the faith of our Divine Redeemer.

This rule of distrusting the conversions of the Jews was also heeded by the Apostles; and later by the various hierarchies of the Catholic Church. If precautionary measures were not always enforced to clearly prove the honesty of the conversions, the results were disastrous for Christianity; for these conversions served only to increase the destructive crypto-Jewish “Fifth Column”, which had infiltrated into Christian society...

Saint Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, one of the great Saints and illustrious Church Fathers, who exercised such a decisive influence upon the Emperors Gratian and Theodosius I, and to whom belongs thanks for the final triumph of Holy Church in the Roman Empire, was at that time the most restless and most energetic fighter against the “Synagogue of Satan”. (Pinay, Maurice. The Plot Against the Church, Part Four Chapters One, Two, Three, and Seven. Translated from the German and Spanish editions of the same work. 1962).

In other words, it appears that historically, some Catholic leaders have considered that those who hold to any practices that Catholics consider to be Jewish were false converts to Christianity. Jesus, of course, did not despise the Jews because Jesus was a Jew (Luke 3:23-26; John 4:9-10). It is odd that the author Pinay repeatedly defends the Inquisition for having stopped the Antichrist from coming. This type of logic will likely (and sadly) be used to persecute and kill us as well as those who are not Philadelphians.

I should mention that while the book The Plot Against the Church essentially is blaming Jews who pretend to be Christians for being the prophesied “Synagogue of Satan”, Theodosius (who is praised in the above book) specifically decreed capital punishment on Christians who kept Passover on the 14th (Gibbon E. Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume III, Chapter XXVII. ca. 1776-1788), like we in the genuine Church of God do, hence we are definitely the type of group they are worried about.

It should be noted that The Plot Against the Church is a book put out put by part of the "right-wing" of the Roman Catholics and not all of its views are currently accepted by the Vatican (though the book itself cites various Councils making statements in support of many of its positions).

Since we in the Philadelphia remnant of the Church of God believe that we descend from those who professed Christ, but had reportedly "Jewish practices", it may be us that Maurice Pinay and Ambrose of Milan falsely have labeled as "the Synagogue of Satan."

Furthermore, notice another Catholic writing related the Book of Revelation and these matters:

Another evil force were the Jews in attacking and persecuting the Church. St. John calls them "the synagogue of Satan" (Kramer H.B. L., p. 20).

But is the Bible warning against Jews attacking the Church? No, not at all.

Notice what the Rheims' translation (an accepted Catholic translation into English) of part of Chapter 3 of the Book of the Apocalypse actually teaches:

[7] And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia, write: These things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of David; he that openeth, and no man shutteth; shutteth, and no man openeth:
[8] I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
[9] Behold, I will bring of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and adore before thy feet. And they shall know that I have loved thee.

Notice that it is NOT the Jews that the Bible warns about. It is not those that claim to be Christian, but are secretly Jews. It is those who claim to be JEWS that are the problem. Notice, also that these verses actually imply that the Philadelphia portion of the true Church is being shown as having certain desirable "Jewish" doctrinal characteristics. This is true of the genuine Church of God but is not true of the Church of Rome (for many documented details, please see Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Genuine Church of God?).

Oddly, even though in one place he condemns "Jews" when he actually writes about Revelation 3:9, Priest H.B. Kramer actually admits that false Jews are the problem:

Verse 9

In the first sentence, Christ shows the contrast between Himself, who is the True One, and the "synagogue of Satan", who claim to be Jews but are false Jews and liars. (Kramer H.B., p. 100).

But even the above is only partially correct--the message is not just contrasting Christ to false Jews, it is contrasting Christians who have retained the proper Jewish practices from those who FALSELY identify themselves as true Christians.

So strangely, the Catholics are getting mixed signals. The strongest one seems to be to watch out for those who seem to be Jewish Christians, yet it is false Christians, not those true Christians with Jewish practices that the Bible warns about.

It should be made clear that in the New Testament in several places (Revelation 3:9 being one) the term "Jews" refers to true followers of Christ, as opposed to those of Jewish heritage or who practice straight Judaism. Actually the term "Jew" is used slightly more for Christians than the term "Christian" is. "Jew/s" is used four times (Romans 2:28;2:29; Revelation 2:9; 3:9), while "Christian/s" is used three times.

Thus, true Christians are, in a sense, considered by God to be true Jews. Thus, it is false Jews, which in this context means false Christians, that are the problem. That is, people who falsely claim to be part of the true Church--those who made many significant doctrinal changes over the centuries. To learn more about which group is faithful and which made the changes, please see Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God?

On August 12, 2018, the History Channel broadcast a program called The Last Pope? that I watched later than month. The subject was of interest for several reasons, but one was because I wrote a book titled The Last Pope: Do Biblical and Catholic Prophecies Point to Pope Francis? Anyway, towards the end of that two-hour program, the following from Nostradamus was shown:

At the foundation of the new sect, The bones of the great Roman will be found, A sepulcher covered by marble will appear, Earth to quake in April poorly buried. (Nostradamus. Century VI, Quatrain 66).

The program basically asked if the reported finding of some bone relics claimed to be the Apostle Peter reported in 2017 meant that the end was near. Well, I looked into that relic claim, and found that Forbes reported the following:

The church of Santa Maria in Cappella was consecrated in 1090 AD and can be found in the trendy modern neighborhood of Trastevere. While the church has a lengthy history of use and rebuilding, the land on which it stands was purchased by the Doria-Pamphilj family in the mid 17th century. In 1982, the church had to be closed due to structural issues. From 2011 to today, restoration work has been ongoing at the church. During this work, the bones of a number of Christian figures came to light for the first time in decades, according to a brief news report on Italy's RAI 1.

Several olle - small, rounded earthenware pots - were found that were covered by lead lids inscribed with the names of some of the earliest popes, including Peter, Felix, and Callixtus. ... This inscription lists a number of holy relics: "...in qua sunt reliq[uia]e ex vestimentis S[an]c[ta]e Mari[a]e Virg[inis], rel[iquiae] s[ancti] Pietro apli ... https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinakillgrove/2017/09/15/bones-of-saint-peter-popes-and-martyrs-found-in-tiny-church-in-rome/#10a44fa83a8f

It is NOT certain that the bones of Peter were found. Nor is is clear when the container was first found. If it could have been in 2012 or 2013 that could tie to the "sect sect" called "the new sect" in Nostradamus' quatrain.

Several Private Catholic Prophecies Involving "England" or the "English"

There are a number of private Catholic prophecies that predict various problems for England and/or the English/Anglo peoples.

Before getting to them, notice that the Bible warns of a church being involved in the destruction:

5 "Sit in silence, and go into darkness,
O daughter of the Chaldeans;
For you shall no longer be called
The Lady of Kingdoms.
6 I was angry with My people;
I have profaned My inheritance,
And given them into your hand.
You showed them no mercy;
On the elderly you laid your yoke very heavily.
7 And you said, 'I shall be a lady forever,'
So that you did not take these things to heart,
Nor remember the latter end of them.

8 "Therefore hear this now, you who are given to pleasures,
Who dwell securely,
Who say in your heart, 'I am, and there is no one else besides me;
I shall not sit as a widow,
Nor shall I know the loss of children'; (Isaiah 47:5-8)

This "Lady of the Kingdoms" is related to the Babylonian (Revelation 18:1-8) Church of Rome (Revelation 17:18). Notice something that the late Herbert W. Armstrong stated on the radio:

Who's going to put that yoke on our neck? Will you turn real quickly back to Isaiah 47; I only have a few moments. Isaiah 47:1: "Come down and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon [now this isn't ancient Babylon 600 years before Christ. It's the daughter of that Babylon, a virgin daughter Babylon. This is a prophecy for the far, far future, not a history of that day], O daughter of the Chaldeans [that Babylon was always called in the male gender as a he. Here is one that is a daughter, and my friends the feminine gender is always spoken of as a church, and the male gender as a civil government. And here it's speaking of a religious element here that is going to get into politics and rule over the political power it's speaking of. It's a modern thing, this is not the ancient Babylon - listen]: thou shall no more be called tender and delicate." (Isaiah 47:1) Just compare that to Revelation 17 and Revelation 18. You'll see the same thing, speaking of the same power exactly. Now the fifth verse, "Sit thou silent, get thee into the darkness, O daughter of the Chaldeans: thou shall no more be called [what?], The lady of kingdoms" (Isaiah 47:5). 'Lady' means a religious organization or church that entered into politics and ruled over nations. That's exactly what it's speaking of and you turn to Revelation 17 and there you'll find it described. "I [says God] was wroth with my people [that's Israel, and], I have polluted mine inheritance..." [that's Israel] (Isaiah 47:6). Why? Because of their sins, and He's going to punish us to STRAIGHTEN us out lest we destroy our own selves. God loves us and He's going to let us be punished for our own good if we won't heed His warning without the punishment. Listen, "[I have]...given them [that's Israel — His inheritance] into THINE hand [this daughter of Babylon] and thou did show them no mercy upon the ancient [or Israel] hast thou very heavily laid thy yoke." (Isaiah 47:6) There is the power that had the yoke on us. (Wake Up and Return To Our GOD! https://www.hwalibrary.com/cgi-bin/get/hwa.cgi?action=getbroadcast&InfoID=1377964801)

This ties in with other scriptures (see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel).

And is consistent with certain Catholic prophecies.

Many of the older Roman Catholic prophecies that mention the English were written before that area actually was called England (and of course, if any apply to the USA, Canada, Australia, and/or New Zealand, they were not formed as we now understand them until several centuries after some of the Roman Catholic prophecies were first written). Hence, these are errors, changes, and/or distortions in translations (probably often just a "modernized" translation of some form of the word "Anglo"). Many of these private prophecies are believed to be intended to somehow refer to the British-descended peoples.

But it is of major interest, to me at least, to note that there are many Roman Catholic prophecies concerning the English/Anglo peoples being punished.

The following seems to predict after the time of movies and rockets, there will be bloodshed in Europe (WWII or civil unrest in Europe?), but that ultimately England will suffer:

Old English Prophecy (On a tombstone at the Kirby cemetery, Essex).

When pictures look alive, with movements free,
(T.V. and movies)

When ships like fish swim beneath the sea,
(Submarines)

When outstripping birds can soar in the sky
(Jets and rockets)

The half the world drenched in blood shall die...

In Germany begins a dance,

Which passes through Italy, Spain, and France,
But England shall pay the piper. (Dupont, pp. 21-22)

What several Roman Catholic prophecies appear to generally state is that there will be some type of civil unrest in parts of Europe which occur after England becomes less powerful, and that ultimately England (and/or perhaps more accurately, the English/Anglo peoples--for many reasons, including the fact that the nation was not actually called "England" as early as some translations of the early private prophecies below term it) will be severely chastised, and basically the Anglo-nations will no longer be self-governed. Here are several along those lines:

Saint Cataldus of Tarentino (c. 500): "The Great Monarch will be in war till he is forty years of age....he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from his empire. He will conquer England and other island empires" (Connor, p.30).

Foretelling the fall of France and England, the famous Jesuit Father Necton, said in 1772, "When England shall wane in power, the destruction of Paris will be near at hand" (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. 84).

Priest Jerome Botin of Cahors (died 1420): Woe to the sea, woe to the land,...and woe to the people of the Island (England), because the inheritance of the Lord shall abandon them, and for the few remaining faithful in it there shall be much affliction, says the Spirit. (Rossi, p. 24)

Priest Nectou (d. 1772): ...when England shall begin to wane in power, the destruction of Paris shall be at hand. This shall be a sign. England shall, in her turn, suffer a more frightful revolution than that of France (Culleton, p. 176).

The Ecstatic of Tours..."When everyone believes that peace is assured, when everyone least expects it, the great happenings will begin. Revolution will break out in Italy almost at the same time as in France. For some time, the Church will be without a Pope. England, too, will have much to suffer..." (Dupont, p.37)

St. Edward (11th century). "The extreme corruption and wickedness of the English nation has provoked the just anger of God. When malice has reached the fullness of its measure, God will, in His wrath, send to the English people evil spirits who will punish and afflict them with severity by separating the green tree from its parent stem the length of three furlongs. But at last this same tree, through the compassionate mercy of God and without any national assistance, shall return to its original root, reflourish, and bear abundant fruit."... It is to be noted, too, that there was no English nation as such in the 11th Century, but only a kingdom of the Angles and Saxons. This discrepancy, however, may be due to a mis-transcription {the preceding was the comment from Dupont personally on the Edward's prophecy}, Dupont, pp.18,19)

Saint Edward (d. 1066) “The extreme corruption and wickedness of the English nation has provoked the just anger of God.  When malice shall have reached the fullness of its measure, God will, in His wrath, send to the English people wicked spirits, who will punish and afflict them with great severity…” (Culleton, p. 137).

Mother Shipton (d. 1551) “The time will come when England shall tremble and quake…London shall be destroyed forever after . . . and then York shall be London and the Kingdom governed by three Lords appointed by a Royal Great monarch…who will set England right and drive out heresy (Culleton, p. 163).

It has been foretold in 597, by ST. Columbkille..."...English nobility shall sink into horrible life--wars shall be proclaimed against them, by means of which the franatically proud race shall be subdued, and will be harassed from every quarter. The English shall dwindle into disreputable people and shall forever be derived of power" (Culligan, pp. 118-119).

St. Columbine (d. 597): The enemies of the English shall be aroused in battle--they who reside in the eastern and western parts of the world...the English shall be defeated...After the English shall be defeated in this battle, they shall be harassed by every quarter; like a fawn surrounded by a pack of voracious hounds, shall be the position of the English amidst their enemies. The English afterwards shall dwindle down to a disreputable people (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), pp. 131,132).

St. Senanus (d. 560): They (English) themselves will betray each other: in consequence their sovereignty will be broken...One monarch will rule in Ireland over the English (Culleton, p. 128).

Merlin (7th century): After destruction of England...shall come a dreadful man...he shall set England on the right way and put out all heresies (Culleton, p. 132).

Ancient Irish source: England will again injure the Irish...This will be a sign for the frightful punishment of England...England suffers the same degradation as she meted out to her neighbor, and for the same length of time. Not the smallest fraction of time in this long period shall be remitted...Never shall world power be hers again...France restores order in England (Culleton, pp. 234,235).

St. Malachy (12th century). "Ireland will suffer English oppression for a week of centuries, but will preserve her fidelity to God and His Church. At the end of that time she will be delivered, and the English in turn must suffer severe chastisement. Ireland, however, will be instrumental in bringing back the English to the unity of Faith." (Dupont, p.15)

Certain Catholic sources claim that the first portion involving oppression in the above Malachy prophecy has been fulfilled. But notice that the above also claims that England will suffer from severe chastisement. And apparently many those that survive will become some type of "Catholic" (probably through desperation, coercion, deception, and/or force).

Also notice:

Fr. Balthassar Mas (17th century). "I saw a land swallowed up by the sea and covered with water. But afterwards, I saw that the sea receded little by little and the land could be seen again. The tops of the towers in the city rose again above the water and appeared more beautiful than before, and I was told that this land was England.' (Dupont, p.32)

The above may have several interpretations. Figuratively, it may mean that Protestant England is to be destroyed and will become Catholic. Or it may simply mean some type of tsunami will affect England. However, notice that elsewhere England is prophesied to become Catholic:

Bl. Anna-Maria Taigi (19th century). Whole nations will come back to the Church and the face of the earth will be renewed. Russia, England, and China will come into the Church. (Dupont, p.45)

Of course, Russia and China will finally turn on the European power (Daniel 11:44-45), but the Bible shows that for a while "All who dwell on the earth will worship him {the European beast power}, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8).

Furthermore, notice the following:

American Catholic Prophecy (c. early 20th century): The yellow hordes of the Rising Sun and the middle kingdom will pour out their wrath on the people of the island kingdom which had gathered riches through trade (Dupont, p. 78).

Since the USA owes Japan (the "land of the rising sun") and China (the "middle kingdom") massive amounts of money, it may be since Australia and New Zealand will be allies of the USA and UK, that Europe will give Australia over to China and New Zealand over to Japan to help satisfy the USA/UK debt. Both China and Japan have longed for more land and the proximity of the island nations of Australia and New Zealand to the Asian powers seems to make this a likely scenario.

(For more about what is ahead for Russia, China, Japan, and other Asian powers please see Asia in Prophecy).

It is also interesting that an Roman Catholic prophecy states that England will leave the Roman Catholic Church, be punished, then return. Notice the following prophecy and commentary from The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Prophecy of St. Edward the Confessor

Ambrose Lisle Philipps in a letter to the Earl of Shrewsbury dated 28 October, 1850, in giving a sketch of English Catholic history, relates the following vision or prophecy made by St. Edward:

"During the month of January, 1066, the holy King of England St. Edward the Confessor was confined to his bed by his last illness in his royal Westminster Palace. St. Aelred, Abbott of Rievaulx, in Yorkshire, relates that a short time before his happy death, this holy king was wrapt in ecstasy, when two pious Benedictine monks of Normandy, whom he had known in his youth, during his exile in that country, appeared to him, and revealed to him what was to happen to England in future centuries, and the cause of the terrible punishment. They said: 'The extreme corruption and wickedness of the English nation has provoked the just anger of God. When malice shall have reached the fullness of its measure, God will, in His wrath, send to the English people wicked spirits, who will punish and afflict them with great severity, by separating the green tree from its parent stem the length of three furlongs. But at last this same tree, through the compassionate mercy of God, and without any national (governmental) assistance, shall return to its original root, reflourish and bear abundant fruit.' After having heard these prophetic words, the saintly King Edward opened his eyes, returned to his senses, and the vision vanished. He immediately related all he had seen and heard to his virgin spouse, Edgitha, to Stigand, Archbishop of Canterbury, and to Harold, his successor to the throne, who were in his chamber praying around his bed." (See "Vita beati Edwardi regis et confessoris", from manuscript Selden 55 in Bodleian Library, Oxford.)

The interpretation given to this prophecy is remarkable when applied to the events which have happened. The spirits mentioned in it were the Protestant innovators who pretended, in the sixteenth century, to reform the Catholic Church in England. The severance of the green tree from its trunk signifies the separation of the English Church from the root of the Catholic Church, from the Roman See. This tree, however, was to be separated from its life-giving root the distance of "three furlongs". These three furlongs are understood to signify three centuries, at the end of which England would again be reunited to the Catholic Church, and bring forth flowers of virtue and fruits of sanctity. The prophecy was quoted by Ambrose Lisle Philipps on the occasion of the reestablishment of the Catholic hierarchy in England by Pope Pius IX in 1850 (Devine, Arthur. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Prophecy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Of course, the interpretation that three furlongs meant that England would become Roman Catholic in three centuries was in error (so yet another Catholic "saint" had a false prophecy), but notice that the Roman Catholics believe that England was prophesied to separate from the Roman Catholic Church, that it will be severely punished, and that it will again become Roman Catholic (AFTER it is punished).

D.A. Birch (Catholic writer commenting on the above "prophecy") stated , "It is interesting to note that the National (Government) of England is foretold to have no role in the return of England to Roman allegiance. As a matter of fact, a number of prophecies specifically state that England will be reevangelized by the French and Irish after England has suffered a terrible and specific chastisement" (Birch, pp. 308-309).

I should probably add that the "National Government" will probably have no role, because England itself will have been taken over (see Anglo - America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel) by the European Beast power. And that is consistent with many of the private Catholic prophecies in this section (as well as the Bible teachings, see Anglo - America in Prophecy for details).

And what about the USA and Canada?

Notice the following:

Werdin d' Otrante (13th century): "The Great Monarch and the Great Pope will precede Antichrist...All the sects will vanish. The capital of the world will fall...The Great Monarch will come and restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory." (Connor, p. 33)

It is possible that Washington D.C. is "the capital of the world" that is prophesied to fall by Werdin d' Otrante. And Canada is a close ally.

Furthermore, notice:

Zachary the Armenian (published 1854 and summarized in 2010): And then there would be the war that the prophecy refers to as "the struggle of the strong, against the strong". This empire of the north...will go to war against North America and North America will fall and be conquered and brought into bondage. The next phase is the most frightful thing of all. It is then that Zachary says this text published in 1854, "and then the whole world fell under the dominion of the first born of hell." (Originally by Priest Fattecelli, Day of Anger: The Hand of God Upon an Empire, 1854, as paraphrased by Priest P. Kramer, What are the missing contents of the third secret? Fatima Crusader, 95, Summer 2010, pp. 45-46)

North America would clearly include the USA and Canada. Notice (bolding in the original) two prophecies that specify Canada (the second is apparently not from a Greco-Roman Catholic):

Josyp Terelya from the Ukraine while in Marmora Ontario (September 13, 1992 allegedly from a Marian apparition): Pray in this chapel for peace and for love in this country of Canada. People are not aware that the prophesied times are upon them...you are on the threshold of the day of judgment. (Flynn, p. 287)

Alois Irlmaier of Freilassing, Germany (prior to 1959): Suddenly...large naval forces are positioned in a hostile way in the Mediterranean Sea - the situation is tense...Then war breaks out...Meanwhile, the yellow dragon invades Alaska and Canada at the same time. (Araujo, pp. 116-117)

Notice also the following (bolding in the original):

Our blessed Mother through Father Gobbi of the Marion Movement…provided several messages…

On November 15, 1990: Mary spoke about the great trial coming to the United States and for all humanity.  The Blessed Mother specifically mentions the United States will know the hour of weakness and of poverty as well as “the hour of suffering and defeat”.  The thunder of God’s justice will have arrived:

..."...Sins of impurity have become ever more widespread, and immorality has spread like a sea which has submerged all things. Homosexuality, a sin of impurity which is against nature, has been justified; recourse to the means of preventing life have become commonplace, while abortions,--these killings of innocent children--have spread and are performed in all areas of your homeland. The moment of divine justice and of great mercy has now arrived. You will know the hour of weakness and poverty; the hour of suffering and defeat; the purifying hour of the great chastisement..." America will know poverty and defeat! Those are strong statements made by the Virgin herself. (Flynn, pp. 341,342).

The “hour of trial” that the Bible speaks of (Revelation 3:10) seems to begin with the Great Tribulation, which is likely to begin sometime within the next decade (see When Can the Great Tribulation Begin?).

Now while the following prophecy is not specific to the English-speaking peoples, I believe that Roman Catholics will believe that the destruction of the USA and its English-speaking allies by the beast power will be justified by it:

St. Francis of Paola (Born in Italy, 15th century). "By the grace of the Almighty, the Great Monarch will annihilate heretics and unbelievers. He will have a great army, and angels will fight at his side. He will be like the sun among the stars. His influence will spread over the whole earth. All in all, there will be on earth twelve Kings, one Emperor, one Pope and a few Princes. They will all lead holy lives." (Dupont, p.38)

The above shows that Roman Catholics will believe that God is on the side of the beast (Protestants could be considered to be among those considered as unbelievers--sometimes, though technically incorrect, they are considered heretics--but since modern Protestants were rarely baptized as Catholic, they are not officially heretics). A peculiar part of the above is that the Roman Catholics believe that there will be twelve kings associated with what seems to be the beast, yet the Bible states that there are ten (Daniel 7:24; Revelation 17:12)--however this is not necessarily a contradiction. Daniel 7:24 says the last kingdom arises from ten kings, while Revelation 17:12 states that ten kings will give their power to the beast, perhaps a couple of others will be added later to make twelve.

It has been prophesied that a change to the Vatican's "Constitution" will come about after a council:

Venerable Anna Maria Taigi (died 1837): The Pope shall convoke a council. A new constitution of the Church shall be proclaimed in it. (Rossi, p. 65)

It should also be pointed out that various writings warn that an ecumenical council will form and satisfy heretics:

Saint Nelios the Myrrh-Gusher (died 1592): During that time the Eighth and last Ecumenical Synod will take place, which will satisfy the contentions of the heretics (Tzima Otto, p. 111 )

Catholics and Orthodox need to realize that any council that satisfies heretics means that compromise of doctrine must take place.

Perhaps it should thus be mentioned that the heretics that the Great Monarch destroys are apparently those who DO NOT accept the results of the eighth "Ecumenical Council". Thus, since that Council itself seems to be heretical, all should be cautious about supporting the "Great Monarch" (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies).

Roman Catholic Writings That Discuss Major Changes and an Antipope

Both the Bible and some Roman Catholic prophecies show seem to show that the coming King of the North will have a new religion.

First from the Bible:

37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain (Daniel 11:37-39).

Notice something that seems to be similar in Roman Catholic writings:

Anne Catherine Emmerich (19th century): I saw the Church inspired by the Holy Spirit , introducing various changes in her discipline when devotion and veneration towards the blessed sacrament had grown weak...Incalculable graces were thereby bestowed upon the whole Church (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, pp.156,157).

The above suggests some major changes to occur within the Catholic church.

This seems to be close to what an earlier Catholic prophet taught:

St. Francis of Paula (15th Century)...Francis also 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...Several potentially confusing things are now told about this future Monarch. 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.

"He shall be the founder of a new religious order different from all others. He will divide it into three strata, namely military knights, solitary priests, and most pious hospitalliers. This shall be the last religious order in the Church, and it will do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutions."

"...These devout men will wear on their breasts...the cross" [It becomes clear from other prophecies that it is from this that they will receive their popular name "the cross bearers."]...

"He shall...destroy all tyrants and heresies. There will be one fold and one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve Kings, one Emperor and one Pope. (Birch, pp.267-270)

St. Francis de Paul (1470):...From your lordship shall be born the great leader of the holy militia...These devout men shall wear on their breasts, and much more in their hearts, the sign of the living God, namely the cross...members of this holy order...

...the Great Monarch...He shall be a great captain and prince of holy men, who shall be called 'the holy Cross-bearers of Jesus Christ,' with whom he will destroy the Mahometan sect and the rest of the infidels. He shall annihilate all the heresies and tyrannies of the world. He shall reform the Church of God by means of his followers, who shall be the best men upon the earth in holiness, in arms, in science, and in every virtue...They shall obtain dominion over the whole world, both temporal and spiritual...

God Almighty will exalt a very poor man of the blood of Emperor Constantine...who shall on his breast wear a sign which you have seen at the beginning of this letter (a red Cross)...He will gather a grand army, and the angels shall fight for them...

This religious order shall be the last and best in the Church: it shall proceed with arms...Woe to tyrants, to heretics, and to infidels to whom no pity will be shown...An infinite number of wicked men shall perish through the hands of the Cross-bearers...most holy Crossbearers elected by the Most High, who, not succeeding in converting heretics with science, shall make vigorous use of their arms...These holy Cross-bearers shall reign and dominate holily over the whole world until the end of time...

But when shall this take place? When crosses with the stigmas shall be seen, and the crucifix shall be carried as the standard. The time is coming when the Divine Majesty will visit the world with a new religious order of holy Cross-bearers, who will carry a crucifix, or the image of our crucified Lord, lifted up upon the principal standard in view of all. This standard will be admired by all good Catholics; but at the beginning it will be derided by bad Christians and by infidels...You shall destroy the sect of the Mahomet, and all infidels of every sect. You shall put an end to all the heresies of the world...

He shall be the great founder of a new religious order different from all the others...This shall be the last religious order in the Church and shall do more good for our holy religion than all other religious institutes. By force of arms he shall take possession of a great kingdom. He shall destroy the sect of Mahomet...There will be one fold, one shepherd. He shall reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve kings, one emperor and one pope. (Culleton, p. 157-161).

St. Francis de Paul (d. 1507): A new order will be founded, that of the Cruciferi, because its members will carry the cross on their banners...The Crusaders will lead the Mohammedans, the teachers of heretical doctrines and bad Christians back to Christ...the power of Islam {was} destroyed by the Great Monarch. (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 142).

Joseph Goires (d. 1848): The people will be united under a powerful monarch who will make new laws (Culleton, p. 197; Connor, p. 38).

Would God institute a military order for Christians? This is NOT something that God would approve for true followers of Christ--this is another CHANGE that the Church of Rome has accepted (for details, see Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?). Would God use the cross as a military symbol?

Notice also that Francis prophesied that there will be a new essentially Roman Catholic crossbearing religious order that will do more for the Roman "Catholic" Church than all other religious institutions. This is probably because the King of the North will work with the Pope to make the world nominally Catholic.

There is also a Catholic writer who indicates that the image or perhaps mark of the beast may be something that resembles a cross:

Priest P. Huchedé (19th century): What this sign shall be time alone will reveal. Yet there are some {Catholic} commentators of the Holt Writ, who, according to a special revelation pretend to say that it shall be formed out of the Greek letters X and P, interlaced...which resembles the number of Christ. (Cornelius a Lapide in Epis. 2 to Thes.). No one can either buy or sell without that…(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).

St. Hildegard of Bingen (12th century): The mark of the Antichrist will be a {distorted} symbol of Baptism...(Culleton, Reign of Antichrist, p. 129).

What is of particular interest about Priest Huchedé comments above is that he is stating that what is now known as the labarum seems to be the same cross that Emperor Constantine claimed to see in 312 A.D.:

In 312, the Roman Emperor Constantine I the Great was in Trier, Germany where he had an unexpected vision of a cross that appeared in the sky..Constantine’s soldiers, the majority of whom were pagans, placed the sacred image of the cross on their shields (Mangan C.M. In This Sign You Conquer, 10/15/03 Copyright © 2004 Catholic Online).

He {Constantine} said that about noon, when the day was already beginning to decline, he saw with his own eyes the trophy of a cross of light in the heavens , above the sun, and bearing the inscription , Conquer by this...in his sleep the Christ of God appeared to him with the same sign which he had seen in the heavens , and commanded him to make a likeness of that sign which he had seen in the heavens , and to use it as a safeguard in all engagements with his enemies....At dawn of day he arose, and communicated the marvel to his friends: and then, calling together the workers in gold and precious stones, he sat in the midst of them, and described to them the figure of the sign he had seen, bidding them represent it in gold and precious stones...Now it was made in the following manner. A long spear, overlaid with gold, formed the figure of the cross by means of a transverse bar laid over it. On the top of the whole was fixed a wreath of gold and precious stones; and within this, the symbol of the Saviour's name, two letters indicating the name of Christ by means of its initial characters, the letter P being intersected by X in its centre...(Eusebius. The Life of Constantine, Chapters 28,30,31).

If some type of cross is a symbol of the future Antichrist as Priest P. Huchedé claims others believe it will be (and it is in a book with an official imprimatur), perhaps those who come from faiths descended from Emperor Constantine should be concerned about their religion now--before it becomes even further removed from the original faith (see also Early Church History: Who Were the Two Major Groups Professed Christ in the Second and Third Centuries?).

A "Brother David Lopez," made the following claims about a message supposedly from Mary in August 1987:

Before the great tribulation, there is going to be a sign. We will see in the sky one great red cross on a day of blue sky without clouds. The color red signifies the blood of Jesus Who redeemed us and the blood of the martyrs selected by God in the days of darkness. This cross will be seen by everyone: Christians, pagans, atheists, etc., as well as all the prepared ones (understand for prepared ones not only the Christians, because there are people who have never heard the Gospel, but also for those who have the voice of God in the sanctuary of their consciences) who will be guided by God in the way of Christ. They will receive grace to interpret the significance of the cross (Flynn, p.349).

But first, before the order's influence is fully accepted, there may be some jostling for position first within the Vatican:

Franciscan Friar (18th century). "All the religious orders will be suppressed, except one, the rule of which will be as rigid and severe as that of the monks of the past. During these calamities the Pope will die. As a result, the most powerful anarchy will prevail within the Church. Three Popes will vie for the pontifical throne, one German, one Italian, and another Greek. They will all be installed by the armed might of three factions" (Dupont, p. 79).

Sister Rose Asdenti of Taggai (1847): During a frightful storm against the Church, all religious orders shall be abolished, except two (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 197).

But is the true church supposed to change? Is even the Church of Rome supposed to change?

Please pay attention to the fact that that the Bible teaches:

8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. 9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines (Hebrews 13:8-9).

Furthermore, it appears that other Catholic private prophecies/writings warn 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, 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 {Catholic writer interpreting A. Emmerick}: They wanted to make a new Church, a Church of human manufacture, but God had other designs...The Holy Father shall have to leave Rome, and he shall die a cruel death. An anti-pope shall be set up in Rome (Dupont, p. 116).

Yves Dupont (20th century): Civil wars rage in Western Europe...the Pope leaves Rome and dies in exile; an anti-pope is installed in Rome...The Mohammedans invade Europe and commit innumerable atrocities. In the West, however, Christians rally around an unexpected leader... (Dupont, p. 1).

Ted and Maureen Flynn (readers and reporters Catholic prophecies): Catholic prophecy warns us of severe problems facing the papacy in these end times…chaos will be within our midst.  An Antipope will seize papal authority…It will be those who hold fast to the truths of the faith who will be labeled as the perpetrators of this horrible schism, according to some visionaries (Flynn, p. 255).

Abbott Joachim (died 1202): A remarkable Pope will be seated on the pontifical throne...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...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)

Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): Antichrist will have a forerunner or prophet, who will prepare the way for him...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...His principles and dogmas to be accepted...it will comprise emperor-worship...with the persecution of true believers (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny, pp. 318,319).

Priest Herman Kramer (20th century): In accord with the text this is unmistakably a PAPAL ELECTION . . . But at this time the great powers may take a menacing attitude to hinder the election of the logical and expected candidate by threats of a general apostasy, assassination or imprisonment of this candidate if elected. This would suppose an extremely hostile mind in the governments of Europe towards the Church, because an extended interregnum in the papacy is always disastrous and more so in a time of universal persecution. If Satan would contrive to hinder a papal election, the Church would suffer great travail ... one...destined for the papacy at the time will institute the needed reforms. A general council may decree the reforms...The lax clergy at the time will extol the conditions then existing...The dragon is a symbolic term for the evil world powers...They will try to make the Church a "state church" everywhere. This is only possible if they can subject the pope to their wills and compel him to teach and rule as they direct. That would be literally devouring the papacy. (Kramer H.B. L. The Book of Destiny, pp. 278,285).

...Antichrist, if he ever were of or in the Church, shall be an Apostate and a renegade out of the Church, and he shall usurp upon it by tyranny, and by challenging worship, religion, and government thereof, so that himself shall be adored in all the Churches of the world which he list to leave standing for his honor. And this is to sit in the temple or against the Temple of God, as some interpret. If any Pope did ever this, or shall do, then let the Adversaries call him Antichrist (Annotations on The Second Epistle of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians. The Original and True RHEIMS NEW TESTAMENT of Anno Domini 1582 , p. 423).

La Salette Prophecy (1846): Rome will lose faith and become the seat of Antichrist (Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 168).

Thus, while some Catholic prophecies (quoted earlier) praise a new religious order, others indicate that a new type of Catholicism will not be true and/or somehow reformed or changed. And in either case, whatever new order that the Great Monarch implements, it will not be faithful to the teachings of Christ or His original faithful followers. The Bible warns against the final Babylon (Revelation 18:2-4).

The idea of an antipope being the Antichrist seems also to have pontifical backing:

Gregory VII's rhetoric...his naming the "antipope" Guibert as "Antichrist and Arch-heretic"...(Hughes KL. Constructing antichrist: Paul, biblical commentary, and the development of doctrine in the early Middle Ages. CUA Press, 2005, p. 206)

Bishop of Lucca, under the title of Alexander II...was the first pontiff chosen by the cardinals, and they chose him without consulting the Emperor...German and Lombard prelates held a council at Berne and elected as Pope Cadalous, Bishop of Parma, under the name of Honorius II.; and for three years there was a scandalous contest between the two claimants, each calling the other antipope and Antichrist in the usual fashion. (Church WC. The Galaxy, Volume 14. Publisher W.C. and F.P. Church, 1872. Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Nov 11, 2008, p. 491)

The "usual fashion" is meant to convey that in the Middle Ages it was not uncommon for a pope (and not just one of them) to suggest that an antipope is Antichrist. The term 'antipope' is specifically believed, of itself, to convey the concept of being an antichrist by Roman Catholics. Thus, the idea of an antipope being the final Antichrist seems consistent with certain papal pronouncements.

Here is a pronouncement from Pope "Gregory the Great" suggesting something similar:

St. Gregory says, "I confidently say that whoever doth call himself universal bishop, or desireth to be so called, doth, in his elation, forerun Antichrist, because he proudly doth set himself before the rest."

We cannot but ask, What would Pope Gregory the Great have said to the titles now assumed by his successors, such as "the vicegerent of God," "the vicar of Christ on earth," whose "teachings should be received as if they were His own," and whom the whole episcopate must be "subject to" on pain of being considered "a lawless and disorderly crowd"?

(As in AN OPEN LETTER TO HIS HOLINESS LEO XIII. Cited in McKim RH.Romanism in the light of history. G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1914 Original from the University of California Digitized Nov 21, 2007, p. 54).

St. Gregory..."I do confidently say that whosoever called himself universal Bishop; or is desirous to be called so, in his pride, is the Forerunner of Anti-christ; because, in his pride, he prefers himself to the rest. And he is conducted to error, by a similar pride; for as the wicked One wishes to appear a god above all men; so whosoever he is, who desires to be called the only Bishop (solus sacerdos,) extols himself above all other Bishops." Tom. ii. Regist. Epist. In. 15. Epist. 33. edit, of Paris, 1705. (Brownlee WC. Letters in the Roman Catholic controversy, 2nd edition. LETTER VIII. TO DRS. POWER AND VARELA, AND MR. LEVINS. Published by the author, 1834. Original from Harvard University, Digitized Aug 26, 2008, p. 95)

Thus, Gregory seems to be warning that if there ever is a "universal Bishop" that one with this title may become the final Antichrist.

Additionally, some Catholic writers clearly have understood that the two-horned beast in Revelation 13 is likely to be an antipope and that a negative power will be established in Jerusalem:

Priest E. Sylvester Berry (published 1920):  The two horns denote a twofold authority – spiritual and temporal.  As indicated by the resemblance to a lamb, the prophet will probably set himself up in Rome as a sort of anti-pope…Antichrist will establish himself in Jerusalem…with his ‘lying wonders’... (Berry ES.  The Apocalypse of St. John, 1920.  Quoted in Culleton RG.  The Reign of Antichrist.  Reprint 1974, TAN Books, Rockford (IL), pp. 199-200).

Much of the above teaching is consistent with certain scriptures. And although most in the Protestant world that watch prophecy, as well as perhaps most in the Catholic world, have confused who the Antichrist is (many modern Protestants think he is the Beast), various Catholic sources have correctly declared that the False Prophet is (or likely is) the final Antichrist. This was also the position of the Catholic saint Augustine (Augustine. City of God, Book XX, Chapter 14. Translated by Marcus Dods. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 2. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1887.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/120120.htm>.Culleton, The Reign of Antichrist, p. 117).

Notice the following Catholic translation of part of the Apocalypse:

3 He took me in spirit to a desert, and there I saw a woman riding a scarlet beast which had seven heads and ten horns and had blasphemous titles written all over it.

4 The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and glittered with gold and jewels and pearls, and she was holding a gold winecup filled with the disgusting filth of her prostitution;

5 on her forehead was written a name, a cryptic name: 'Babylon the Great, the mother of all the prostitutes and all the filthy practices on the earth.' ...

9 'This calls for shrewdness. The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman is sitting.

15 The angel continued, 'The waters you saw, beside which the prostitute was sitting, are all the peoples, the populations, the nations and the languages.

16 But the ten horns and the beast will turn against the prostitute, and tear off her clothes and leave her stark naked; then they will eat her flesh and burn the remains in the fire.

17 In fact, God has influenced their minds to do what he intends, to agree together to put their royal powers at the beast's disposal until the time when God's words shall be fulfilled.

18 The woman you saw is the great city which has authority over all the rulers on earth.' (Revelation 17:3-5,9,15-18)

According to Catholic scholars, the seven hills are a reference to Rome.

An antipope will support the destruction of the Church of Rome.

The Great Monarch and the King of the South

Both the Bible and some Roman Catholic prophecies show that a power from the South (called the King of the South in the Bible) will cause a power from the North to invade (called the King of the North in the Bible).

Notice what is taught by some Roman Catholic prophets:

St. John Bosco (1815 – 1888 )...War comes from the south, peace from the north (St. John Bosco, Part 3. CATHOLIC PROPHECIES - PART I http://www.freehomepages.com/nostradamus/catholic_prophecies_PartOne.htm 01/30/07).

Telesphorus of Cozensa (died 1388): A powerful French monarch and French pope will regain the holy land after terrible wars in Europe, convert the world, and bring universal peace" (Connor, pp. 34-35).

Michel De Nostredame (Michael of our Lady...died in 1566)...The Great Arab shall progress well forward, But betrayed by the Byzantines. (Turks) The ancient Rhodes shall come and meet him, Then great evil will befall Hungary (Dupont, p, 107).

Y. Dupont (commentator on the above) "What the third verse says about Rhodes may mean the Knights of St. John...As for the fourth verse, it alludes once again to the determining battles which are to take place in Hungary" (Dupont, p, 107).

Anonymou Paraphrasis (10th century): The King has marks [to be identified with]: the nail of the big toe of his right foot has a callosity; his voice is sweet [or his manner of speaking]; his features are prepossessing; his appearance [shape, figure, bone structure] delicate like that of a woman {another translation suggests "good looking"}; he is about middle-age [or mature in years]; he began to develop a little bald head and his hair has began to turn gray a little; he is erudite and knows many things, he has foresight and is cognizant of the text of prophecies; which he relates to others and shares that information with others; his nose is a little curved [aquiline nose]; the eyes are prominent. He is poor, his hair is cut short and he is dressed in very poor clothing [rags] whose purpose is utilitarian...And the King will have three articulations [joints, knuckles; possibily referring again to the callosity on the big toe of his right foot]. (Tzima Otto, pp. 31-31; p. 174 for "good looking")

David Poreus (17th century). "The Great Monarch will be of French descent, large forehead, large dark eyes, light brown wavy hair and an eagle nose. He will crush the enemies of the Pope and will conquer the {Middle?} East." (Dupont, p. 31; Connor p. 35)

Pay special attention to the next five private prophecies (plus one Catholic comment) and compare them to the scripture that comes afterwards:

Nostradamus: Then the King of the North, hearing the complaint of the people from his chief state, will raise up a mighty army, and pass through the limits of his last progenitors and great-grandfathers, to him who will replace almost everything in its old condition. The great Vicar of the Cope shall be put back to his pristine state; but, desolated and abandoned by all (Letter to Henry II, King of France, From Salon this 27th June, 1558. Cited in Culleton R. Gerald. The Reign of Antichrist, TAN Books, Rockford, IL, p. 144).

Monk Hilarion (d. 1476): The people of the Peninsula of Europe will suffer by unnecessary wars...That Lion will come from a high mountain in the enlightened nation. Then the people of the Half-Moon {Islam} of the tribe of Agar overrun many nations. toward midnight (North) and commit depredations. Three years will they reign destroying all. Yet in the third year will be one of the unconquerable Eagles who reign over the Enlighted Nation between the Rhine and the North Sea, with a great army meet them at the mouth of the River Rhine and in a fearful battle almost entirely annihilate them (Culleton, p. 138).

Monk Hilarion (died 1476): Before the Christian churches are renovated and united, God will send the Eagle (Great Monarch) who will travel to Rome and bring much happiness and good. The Holy Man (Angelic Pastor?) will bring peace between the clergy and the Eagle and his reign will last for four years. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 137)

Y. Dupont (20th century) commenting on the above from Monk Hiliaron: Europe--and Italy in particular--will suffer greatly through wars. The Mohammedans will take advantage of the complete anarchy in Europe and invade the land...But eventually they will be thrown back into the sea by the Great King who comes from the Ardennes in Belgium (Dupont, p. 21).

Rudolph Gekner (died 1675). "A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword moved by Divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He will combat on behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire. A new pastor of the universal church will come from the shore (of Dalmatia) through a celestial prodigy, and in simplicity of heart adorned with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Peace will come to the world." (Cited in Connor, Edward. Prophecy for Today. Imprimatur + A.J. Willinger, Bishop of Monterey-Fresno; Reprint: Tan Books and Publishers, Rockford (IL), 1984, p.36).

Pseudo-Methodius (7th century): This new Muslim invasion will be a punishment without limit and mercy…In France, a people of Christians will fight and kill them…At that same time the Muslims will be killed and they will know the tribulation…The Lord will give them to the powers of the Christians whose empire will be elevated above all empires…The Roman King (Great Monarch) will show a great indignation against those who will have denied Christ in Egypt or in Arabia (Araujo, pp. 101,103).

Now from the Bible:

"40 At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. 41 He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown..." (Daniel 11:40-41).

Notice that there are major similarities between the "great prince of the north"/Eagle/Lion that some Catholics have written prophecies about and the invading of the King of the North in Daniel 11:40-41. This person will, after gaining power, terrorize saints for 3 1/2 years (Daniel 7:25)--is this not consistant with a three to four year Catholic prophesied reign? (It should be noted that the end time King of the South is likely to be the Imam Mahdi that many in Islam are looking for--and according to Islam, this Mahdi will make a deal with a great Roman Catholic European leader.)

Notice a writing from Cyril of Jerusalem:

13. Now these things we teach, not of our own invention, but having learned them out of the divine Scriptures used in the Church, and chiefly from the prophecy of Daniel just now read; as Gabriel also the Archangel interpreted it, speaking thus: The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall surpass all kingdoms. And that this kingdom is that of the Romans...16...But, let those of us who are fearful provide for our own safety; and those who are of a good courage, stand fast: for then shall be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, nor ever shall be. But thanks be to God who has confined the greatness of that tribulation to a few days; for He says, But for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened ; and Antichrist shall reign for three years and a half only. We speak not from apocryphal books, but from Daniel; for he says, And they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time. A time is the one year in which his coming shall for a while have increase; and the times are the remaining two years of iniquity, making up the sum of the three years; and the half a time is the six months. And again in another place Daniel says the same thing, And he swore by Him that lives for ever that it shall be for a time, and times, and half a time. (Cyril of Jerusalem. Catechetical Lecture 15 On the Clause, And Shall Come in Glory to Judge the Quick and the Dead; Of Whose Kingdom There Shall Be No End, Chapters 13, 16. Translated by Edwin Hamilton Gifford. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 7. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1894.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310115.htm>)

So Cyril confirms the idea of 3 1/2 years as bad, not a good, reign.

It is of interest to note that while many Roman Catholic prophets (plus Pseudo-Methodius, who would be Orthodox) tend to indicate that this Great Monarch ruler is good, the one that sounds just like him is condemned in the Bible (which Cyril also indicated):

36 Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done 40...the king of the North...44 But news from the east and the north shall trouble him; therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him (Daniel 11:36,40,44-45).

Are not the parallels between the "Great Monarch" (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies) and the biblical King of the North becoming clear? Since this ruler is condemned, no one should be looking forward to his rule.

According to some Catholics, this Great Monarch will apparently offend the clergy, and possibly the cardinals:

D. Birch (20th century): 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, pp. 276)

Gameleo (possibly 16th century):  The Great Lion will arise when the Holy See has been moved to Mentz, and a Sabinian elected Pope.  There will have been much dissension among the cardinals. (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p. 170)

If this leader is offending the clergy with his changes, perhaps no one should listen to him?

Might 2 Esdras Be Tied In?

Probably around 70 A.D., the apocraphyl book known as 2 Esdras was written. Now this is NOT the same book that is considered as scripture by the Catholic Council of Trent.

So why mention it here? Because of certain possible biblical connections to Revelation 13 and 2 Thessalonians 2, and an interpretation from a Jew who became Roman Catholic.

In late 2013, I read the following passages from the 13th chapter of 2 Esdras:

1 After seven days I dreamed a dream in the night; 2 and behold, a wind arose from the sea and stirred up all its waves. 3 And I looked, and behold, this wind made something like the figure of a man come up out of the heart of the sea. And I looked, and behold, that man flew with the clouds of heaven; and wherever he turned his face to look, everything under his gaze trembled, 4 and whenever his voice issued from his mouth, all who heard his voice melted as wax melts when it feels the fire. 5 After this I looked, and behold, an innumerable multitude of men were gathered together from the four winds of heaven to make war against the man who came up out of the sea. 6 And I looked, and behold, he carved out for himself a great mountain, and flew up upon it. 7 And I tried to see the region or place from which the mountain was carved, but I could not. 8 After this I looked, and behold, all who had gathered together against him, to wage war with him, were much afraid, yet dared to fight. 9 And behold, when he saw the onrush of the approaching multitude, he neither lifted his hand nor held a spear or any weapon of war; 10 but I saw only how he sent forth from his mouth as it were a stream of fire, and from his lips a flaming breath, and from his tongue he shot forth a storm of sparks. 11 All these were mingled together, the stream of fire and the flaming breath and the great storm, and fell on the onrushing multitude which was prepared to fight, and burned them all up, so that suddenly nothing was seen of the innumerable multitude but only the dust of ashes and the smell of smoke. When I saw it, I was amazed. 12 After this I saw the same man come down from the mountain and call to him another multitude which was peaceable. 13 Then many people came to him, some of whom were joyful and some sorrowful; some of them were bound, and some were bringing others as offerings. Then in great fear I awoke; and I besought the Most High, and said, 14 "From the beginning thou hast shown thy servant these wonders, and hast deemed me worthy to have my prayer heard by thee; 15 now show me also the interpretation of this dream. 16 For as I consider it in my mind, alas for those who will be left in those days! And still more, alas for those who are not left! 17 For those who are not left will be sad, 18 because they understand what is reserved for the last days, but cannot attain it. 19 But alas for those also who are left, and for that very reason! For they shall see great dangers and much distress, as these dreams show. 20 Yet it is better to come into these things, though incurring peril, than to pass from the world like a cloud, and not to see what shall happen in the last days." He answered me and said, 21 "I will tell you the interpretation of the vision, and I will also explain to you the things which you have mentioned. 22 As for what you said about those who are left, this is the interpretation: 23 He who brings the peril at that time will himself protect those who fall into peril, who have works and have faith in the Almighty. 24 Understand therefore that those who are left are more blessed than those who have died. 25 This is the interpretation of the vision: As for your seeing a man come up from the heart of the sea, 26 this is he whom the Most High has been keeping for many ages, who will himself deliver his creation; and he will direct those who are left. 27 And as for your seeing wind and fire and a storm coming out of his mouth, 28 and as for his not holding a spear or weapon of war, yet destroying the onrushing multitude which came to conquer him, this is the interpretation: 29 Behold, the days are coming when the Most High will deliver those who are on the earth. 30 And bewilderment of mind shall come over those who dwell on the earth. 31 And they shall plan to make war against one another, city against city, place against place, people against people, and kingdom against kingdom. 32 And when these things come to pass and the signs occur which I showed you before, then my Son will be revealed, whom you saw as a man coming up from the sea. 33 And when all the nations hear his voice, every man shall leave his own land and the warfare that they have against one another; 34 and an innumerable multitude shall be gathered together, as you saw, desiring to come and conquer him. 35 But he shall stand on the top of Mount Zion. 36 And Zion will come and be made manifest to all people, prepared and built, as you saw the mountain carved out without hands. 37 And he, my Son, will reprove the assembled nations for their ungodliness (this was symbolized by the storm), 38 and will reproach them to their face with their evil thoughts and the torments with which they are to be tortured (which were symbolized by the flames), and will destroy them without effort by the law (which was symbolized by the fire). 39 And as for your seeing him gather to himself another multitude that was peaceable, 40 these are the ten tribes which were led away from their own land into captivity in the days of King Hoshea, whom Shalmaneser the king of the Assyrians led captive; he took them across the river, and they were taken into another land. 41 But they formed this plan for themselves, that they would leave the multitude of the nations and go to a more distant region, where mankind had never lived, 42 that there at least they might keep their statutes which they had not kept in their own land. 43 And they went in by the narrow passages of the Euphrates river. 44 For at that time the Most High performed signs for them, and stopped the channels of the river until they had passed over. 45 Through that region there was a long way to go, a journey of a year and a half; and that country is called Arzareth. 46 "Then they dwelt there until the last times; and now, when they are about to come again, 47 the Most High will stop the channels of the river again, so that they may be able to pass over. Therefore you saw the multitude gathered together in peace. 48 But those who are left of your people, who are found within my holy borders, shall be saved. 49 Therefore when he destroys the multitude of the nations that are gathered together, he will defend the people who remain. 50 And then he will show them very many wonders."

After reading them, I wondered if any might consider this to foretell the rise of the 'Great Monarch'. Because, since that individual seems to be the King of the North warned about in Daniel 11, and the leader in 2 Esdras rises from the sea as does the Beast of Revelation 13, and because signs and lying wonders are associated with this Beast in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, as well as other passages, it seemed to fit.

Furthermore, upon researching it, I found a blog titled A Catholic Jew Pontificates. which made the following statements which seems to tie in with some of the passages in 2 Esdras 13:

Another son of Joseph and David is Messiah Ephraim who is the Great Monarch Henry alluded to in Apocalypse 10. "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices." The figure of Orion and his two feet are the heavenly representation of this Monarch who is the Lion that Roars. This Messiah Lion that roars is mentioned in 2 Esdras as the leader of the Lost Tribes of Israel (Ephraim). This Great Monarch is protected by St Joseph (the cloud), crowned by Our Lady (the Rainbow), lives in Divine Will as revealed to Luisa in the analogy of the Sun (the Sun)and moves in the power of Jesus (feet with pillars)through the Eucharistic Heart and the Immaculate Heart (two pillars of the visions of St John Bosco).He is also mentioned in Hoshea as the Lion of Ephraim that roars and in Amos as the Lion that roars.

"Hosea 11:9-10
לֹ֤א אֶֽעֱשֶׂה֙ חֲרֹ֣ון אַפִּ֔י לֹ֥א אָשׁ֖וּב לְשַׁחֵ֣ת אֶפְרָ֑יִם כִּ֣י אֵ֤ל אָֽנֹכִי֙ וְלֹא־ אִ֔ישׁ בְּקִרְבְּךָ֣ קָדֹ֔ושׁ וְלֹ֥א אָבֹ֖וא בְּעִֽיר׃אַחֲרֵ֧י יְהוָ֛ה יֵלְכ֖וּ כְּאַרְיֵ֣ה יִשְׁאָ֑ג כִּֽי־ ה֣וּא יִשְׁאַ֔ג וְיֶחֶרְד֥וּ בָנִ֖ים מִיָּֽם׃

I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man the Holy One in the midst of thee and I will not enter into the city. They shall walk after the LORD, he [Ephraim] shall roar like a lion when he[Ephraim] shall roar then the children shall tremble from the west [sea]."

The name Henry comes from the Hebrew Chenoch [Enoch]via the German Hunroch and Heinrich. Nostradamus calls him Chyren. This leads us back to Orion who is also said to represent Enoch (Anu). The Bible speaks of Orion and the Great Bear (Ursa Major)which is called King David's chariot in Ireland, the Great Chariot in France and Arthur's Chariot in Britian. The name Arthur refers to the Bear (Art) and represents the Messiah Manesseh brother of Messiah Ephraim. (Ben Gilad A. Mystery of Joseph and the Number 14, November 29, 2009. http://aronbengilad.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html viewed 12/13/13)

The Great Monarch is also sometimes called Henry in some private Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies. It perhaps should be noted that Nimrod of ancient Babylon was tied in with Orion (Bryant J. A New System Or an Analysis of Ancient Mythology : where in an Attempt is Made to Divest Tradition of Fable. 1776, Original from Lyon Public Library, Digitized Jun 28, 2012, p. 39). Hence, since the Great Monarch is on the side of end time Babylon, there might be a connection.

Are Sainthood and/or Stigmatic Wonders Proof?

While some private prophecies have come to pass and some will come to pass, some have clearly been false.

If the mystic is a stigmatic or attains Roman Catholic canonized sainthood, does that prove that their private prophecies are true?

Actually, one book that I own, titled The Thunder of Justice, essentially makes that claim and has many photographs of signs and wonders that the authors seem to believe proves that their version of the Catholic faith is correct.  Other Greco-Roman Catholic prophetic books seem to make similar claims (I own more than two dozen of them).

But do these signs prove that these people are of God? Might demonic influence be a factor?

At least two of the Roman Catholic mystics I have read about admitted that they may have been victims of demons or illusions. Here is information about one:

Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (died 1837): Although she was carried away daily by ecstacy…Indeed, Anna herself had known fear, at first, thinking herself a victim of an illusion, from which she strove to free herself (Rigby S. Wife, Mother And Mystic (Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi). Edited by D. Newton. Nihil Obstat: Carolus Davis, S.T.L., Censor deputatis. Imprimatur: E. Morrough Bernard Vic. Gen. Westmonasterii, die Februarii, 1952. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1970, pp. 173,180).

The second was the stigmatic Anne Emmerich (an individual bearing stigmata is referred to as a stigmatic; and stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations supposedly corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus; also allegedly lived over a decade on only the Roman Catholic eucharistic host):

Nun Emmerich: 1822 ... October 4 ... I fought against a whole legion of devils who excite minds against me and do all they can to harass me ... They want to install bad Bishops ... (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, p. 299).

It should be mentioned that on October 3, 2004 Anne Catherine Emmerich was beatified by Pope John Paul II (Wikipedia). Yet, it should be mentioned that she claimed to see Limbo, a place that Pope Benedict XVI indicated does not exist (see What is Limbo? Is there such a place as Limbo?)--others, to get around this, have indicated that her biographer added those statements about Limbo, but this does not seem to be a reasonable conclusion.

Also notice the following from a book on Nun Emmerich:

(Being in a state of ecstasy today, Sister Emmerich related what follows:)

The first descent of Jesus into Limbo was the fulfillment of early types, and in itself a type whose fulfillment is effected by today’s releasing of the poor souls (Emmerich AC. The Life of Lord Jesus Christ and Biblical Revelations. Schmöger edition, Vol. IV. Nihil Obstat: D. Jaegher, 14 Februari 1914. Imprimatur: A.C. De Schrevel, Brugis, 14 Februari 1914. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 2004, p. 355).

So, a demon-influenced woman in some type of trance, saw Limbo, which does not exist, yet she was made a saint (many more quotes from Nun Emmerich on Limbo are in the article What is Limbo? Is there such a place as Limbo?).

Here is some information about a famous stigmatic (birth name Francesco Forgione):

Padre Pio is ... easily the most famous male stigmatist since St. Francis ... it is clear that the famous friar suffered more than the wounds in his body or bruises from the Devil.  For example, there was a period in his life where Vatican officials suspected that Pio Padre’s stigmata were self-inflicted ... Archbishop Pasquale Gagliardi of Manfredonia, who denounced him to the Vatican's Holy Office. At various times, he was forbidden to  say Mass, except privately, and to speak with women: at the age of seventy-three he was suspected, of all things, of taking sexual advantage of female penitents ...

As late as 1960 ... Bishop Albino Luciani of Vittorio Veneto, who later became Pope John Paul I, dismissed the ministry of Padre Pio as “an indigestible dainty” which caters to the “craving for the supernatural and the unusual.” ...

The speaker was Father Paolo Rossi, the Italian friar who, since 1980, has served as pos tula tor general of the Capuchins…Once more I was told that mystical experiences would play no part in determining sanctity.  Though he may have wrestled with the Devil and spoken with angels, Pio Padre the stigmatist would be judged by more mundane trials ... I was struck by the enormous discrepancy between the popular image of the mystic and the requirements of the saint-making process. (Woodward KL.  Making saints: how the Catholic Church determines who becomes a saint, who doesn't, and why.  Simon and Schuster, 1996, pp. 184-185, 186, 187, 189)

So, having the stigmata, of itself, is not considered by Roman Catholic leaders of sainthood. This should be a signal to all Greco-Roman Catholics that they should not accept various outward signs as proof of God’s approval of one’s life or message. The person must speak according to the law and the testimony to possibly have God’s light of approval (Isaiah 8:20).

Notice the following statements from a Roman Catholic investigator (officially called a consultor), Priest John Lozano, of possible sainthoods related to the questionable value of stigmata:

We know that mystics that have the stigmata copy the crucifixes that they see.  If the wounds of the crucifix are on the wrong place, they will appear that way on the body.  Similarly, if they have seen Mary dressed in red and blue, as she appears in statues in Catalonia, rather than the standard blue and white, that is the way she will be dressed in their visions. (Woodward, p. 178)

This is disturbing on many levels. The above investigator referred to these as “fantasies” yet seemed to think some with such “fantasies” were valid saints. But if the stigmatics are having signs in different parts of their hands, etc. this should demonstrate to anyone who wants to consider the facts that they simply are not imitating Jesus. God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).

There were other seers who also had problems that should disqualify them as being send as God’s servants.

Additionally, Roman Catholic seers such as Nostradamus practiced a form of astrology–and this something that the Bible warns against, even in an accepted Roman Catholic translation of the Old Testament:

12 Stand with thine enchanters, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, in
which thou hast travailed from thy youth, if perhaps it may profit thee any
thing, or if thou mayest become stronger.
13 Thou hast failed in the multitude of thy counsels: let the astrologers of the
heaven stand and save thee, which did contemplate the stars
, and count the
months, that by them they might tell things that shall come to thee.
14 Behold they are become as stubble, fire hath burnt them, they shall not
deliver their soul from the hand of the flame: there are no coals, Wherewith
they may be warmed, nor fire, that they may sit thereat.
(Isiae 47:12-13, The Original And True Douay Old Testament Of Anno Domini 1610)

Furthermore, if there were no demonic influences and all these mystics and writers were actually inspired by God, then none of their prophecies would ever fail.

But they often have. There are false Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies that were made by several canonized Roman Catholic saints.

For example:

St. Bridget of Sweden (14th century): In the year 1980 the wicked shall prevail; they will profane and sacrilegiously defile the churches, by erecting in them altars to idols and to Antichrist, whom they will worship and will attempt to force others to do the same. (Rossi, p. 261)

The above prophecy appears to be false as it seems to be related to the Antichrist who has not publicly been revealed.

Here is another example:

St. John of the Cleft Rock (14th century). It is said that 20 centuries after the incarnation of the Word, the Beast in its turn will become man. About the year 2000 A.D., Antichrist will reveal himself to the world. (Dupont, p. 23)

Unless the above revealing was intended to be exceptionally subtle, that did not occur. I would also add that John of the Cleft rock is listed as a Catholic prophet who has "Full Catholic Approval" (http://www.essan.org/Prophecy/Catholic%20Prophecy/The%20prophets.htm), like most of those in this section.

Notice what was taught by the Catholic priest and saint normally called Don (or John) Bosco, who claimed to have received a vision–but this time I added more of what he stated:

Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco also known as “Saint John Bosco” (1862): In the midst of the immense expanse of sea, two mighty columns of great height arise a little distance the one from the other. On the top of one, there is the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with this inscription: Auxilium Christianorum - "Help of Christians"; on the other, which is much higher and bigger, stands a Host of great size proportionate to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: Salus Credentium - "Salvation of the Faithful." The supreme commander of the big ship is the Sovereign Pontiff. He, seeing the fury of the enemies and the evils among which his faithful find themselves, determines to summon around himself the captains of the smaller ships to hold a council and decide what is to be done. All the captains come aboard and gather around the Pope. They hold a meeting, but meantime the wind and the waves gather in storm, so they are sent back to control their own ships. There comes a short lull; for a second time the Pope gathers the captains around him, while the flag-ship goes on its course. But the frightful storm returns. The Pope stands at the helm and all his energies are directed to steering the ship towards those two columns from whose summits hang many anchors and strong hooks linked to chains. "All the enemy ships move to attack it, and they try in every way to stop it and to sink it: some with books and writings or inflammable materials, of which they are full; others with firearms, with rifles and with rams. The battle rages ever more relentlessly. The enemy prows thrust violently, but their efforts and impact prove useless. They make attempts in vain and waste all their labor and ammunition; the big ship goes safely and smoothly on its way. Sometimes it happens that, struck by formidable blows, it gets large, deep gaps in its sides; but no sooner is the harm done that a gentle breeze blows from the two columns and the cracks close up and the gaps are stopped immediately. (Bosco J. Forty Dreams of Don Bosco. From Saint John Bosco's Biographical Memoirs, as edited by Priest J. Bacchiarello. Nihil Obstat: E. Gutierrez, August 21, 1969. Imprimatur + Stephen Fernando, Bishop of Shillong India, September 21, 1969. TAN Books, 1966, pp. )

Giovanni Melchiorre Bosco also known as “Saint Don Bosco” (1862): Don Bosco said, “There will be chaos in the Church. Tranquility will not return until the Pope succeeds in anchoring the boat of Peter beween the Twin Pillars of Eucharist Devotion and devotion to Our Lady. This will come about one year before the end of the century.” (Prediction made in 1862 for the end of the 20th century (Flynn Ted and Mary. The Thunder of Justice. MaxKol Communications, Inc. Sterling (VA), 1993, p. A213).

The timing for this prophecy by the Roman Catholic saint Don Bosco did not come to pass when he said it would. Hence if the date prediction was made, he is a false prophet, though he is still a Roman Catholic saint. I am convinced that God did not give Don Bosco that vision. It has been claimed that the letter that contained the date portion of the above prediction is still in the Vatican archives (Pickover CA. Dreaming the future: the fantastic story of prediction. Prometheus Books, 2001 Original from the University of Michigan, Digitized Oct 2, 2008, p. 297).

Here is another by another "canonized saint":

Francis di Paola (From Spezzano, 18th of January, 1489): Four hundred years shall not pass when his Divine Majesty shall visit the world with a new religious order much needed, which shall effect more good among men than all other religious institutions combined. This religious order shall be the last and the best in the Church; it shall proceed with arms, with prayer, and with hospitality. Woe to tyrants, to heretics, and to infidels, to whom no pity shall be shown, because such is the will of the Most High! An infinite number of wicked men shall perish through the hands of the Cross-bearers, the true servants of Jesus Christ. (Rossi, p. 111)

While a new order like Francis di Paola alluded to will happen, it did not happen in the time period nor will it do good from a biblical perspective. And since the prophecy had to have been fulfilled by 1889, then Francis di Paola has been shown to be a false prophet as far as dates are concerned.

Although the apparition at Lourdes is accepted by the Church of Rome as valid, notice something that the canonized woman who claimed to see the apparition said:

Saint Marie-Bernarde Soubirous also known as Saint Bernadette of Lourdes (19th century): On the eve of the year 2000, a final clash between the followers of Mohammed and the Christian nations of the world will take place. A furious battle will be waged in which 5,650,451 soldiers are killed and a bomb of great power will fall on a city in Persia. But in the fullness of time, the sign of the cross will prevail and all of Islam will be forced to convert to Christianity. (Cain M. Oh what a Triumph it will be!!! Daily Catholic. Catholic PewPoint. May 14, 1998 vol. 9, no. 94. http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/May/may14ed.htm viewed 11/09/10)

Yet the above is clearly false. The above statement was not known until 1998 as it allegedly had been in a Vatican vault (and was first made public by a Vincenzo Sardi in the tabloid Weekly World News). In addition to being made a saint by the Vatican, her flesh allegedly never decayed after being buried for 30 years and she is now on display as an "incorruptible". It is hinted that the Marian apparition has kept her body from fully corrupting (http://www.catholicpilgrims.com/lourdes/bb_bernadette_body.htm). But, irrespective of her remains, the truth is that Bernadette's statement was still false.

What about other stigmatics and/or mystics with various signs and wonders?

Notice the report from the Roman Catholic Gaudentius Rossi about the canonized saint, known as the Nursing Nun of Belay, Sr. Bertina Bouquillon, or Sister Bertine:

Sister Bertine was a religious of eminent sanctity. She was born in February, 1801. At the age of twenty-two she was impressed with the sacred stigmas of our Lord Jesus Christ, which were visible every Friday, and on all the principal Feasts, during the last twenty-nine years of her life...

Sister Bertine said to some of her sisters: "Antichrist shall appear very soon. You shall not see him, nor those who shall immediately succeed you, but those who shall come after shall live under his dominion. (We must observe here that this prophecy was made about thirty years ago.) At the arrival of Antichrist no change shall be made in this house; everything shall go on in the regular order; the religious exercises of the community, domestic labor, the employment in the sick wards (the establishment in St. Omer is a large hospital), in fact, everything shall go on as at the present day; when, all of a sudden, our sisters will learn that the man of sin has arrived. This event will take place about the end of this present century, or at the beginning of the next. The last king of France shall die during a great battle at the time of Antichrist, and his body will be deprived of burial."

Sister Bertine moreover stated that she had seen the holy patriarch Enoch, one of the two just men who shall have to fight against Antichrist, and sustain the faithful during their severe trials at the end of the world. " He was dressed," she said, " like a missionary, ready, as it were, to start for his great approaching difficult mission ; the end of the world, however," she added, "shall not be during this century, but between 1900 and 1950." (Rossi, pp. 269-271)

The above simply was in error. Antichrist did not appear nor did Enoch arrive and publicly fight Antichrist prior to 1950.

Notice the following about Therese Neumann:

Therese Neumann (1898-1962) mystic and stigmatist of Germany. She did not eat, drink, sleep, or have body functions for 40 years–a well documented fact in light of being so contemporary. She lived solely on the Eucharist. When asked in 1945 after World War II if America would ever be destroyed or invaded by war, she responded,

“No, at the end of this century America will be destroyed economically by natural disasters.” (Flynn Ted and Mary. The Thunder of Justice. MaxKol Communications, Inc. Sterling (VA), 1993, p. A259)

Now even though she was apparently a stigmatic and many believe that she only lived on the eucharistic host for 40 years, her prophecy has been proven false (I should also add that the United States not only was not destroyed prior to the end of the 20th century, it, contrary to her claims, will be destroyed by war, please see Anglo – America in Prophecy). Yet, it has been reported about Therese Neumann:

In 2005, Gerhard Ludwig Müller, Bishop of Regensburg, formally opened the Vatican proceedings for her beatification. (Therese Neumann. Wikipedia, viewed 02/07/09).

But it should be clear that God did not speak through her either. The fact that some claim that Rome has had 321 stigmatics (Flynn, p. 20), does not mean that these individuals had a sign from God. There is NOTHING in the Bible that would suggest that God would place the “stigmata” upon His true followers.

Perhaps I should add that in the pro-“Catholic” wonders book titled The Thunder of Justice, there are dozens of statements from those who supposedly communicated with “Mary” that claimed that the end would come by the year 2000.  They, of course, also are in error.  It does not matter how impressive one thinks various wonders are–they simply do NOT prove that the person with/receiving them is truly God’s servant.  Actually, there have been so many provably false apparitions/locutions allegedly from Mary, that the Vatican has decided that it needs to stop its followers from proclaiming them publicly until the Vatican approves them (see The Pope and Marian Apparitions)–and the Vatican, to its credit, has not approved any as far as I have been able to tell since it implemented that policy.

Those who are impressed by signs and wonders would do well to heed the following scriptures:

9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

21 “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?’– 22 when a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).

Thus, it should be clear that God did not speak though people such as Don Bosco, Therese Neumann, and most who have claimed to receive messages from “Mary”.

But, you might ask, then what about the prophecies that have or may still come to pass, do they not prove that the prophets/prophetesses came from God?

No, not actually. Notice that the Bible covers this as well:

24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand (Matthew 24:24-25).

14 … they are spirits of demons, performing signs…(Revelation 16:14).

1 “If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, 2 and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’–which you have not known–’and let us serve them,’ 3 “you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul. 4 You shall walk after the LORD your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice, and you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him (Deuteronomy 13:1-4).

It needs to be emphasized that the Church of Rome that claims to be the Catholic Church and sometimes even “the Church of God,” has changed many of the original teachings that the true Church of God had and that the Continuing Church of God still has (for documented details, please see the free online book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church). Rome has not been faithful to many of the most basic early church beliefs, practices, and traditions.

The current Church of Rome sadly does tell people to worship “other gods” than what the Bible shows. It also has changed the ten commandments (see The Ten Commandments and the Early Church) and even encouraged military participation (in violation of the commandments and the early traditions of the even its church, see Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare?).

Those Roman-connected mystics whose prophecies will be somewhat fulfilled are often the mirror-image, the opposite, of what the Bible says real Christians should heed.

But some may say, aren’t these saints, God’s ministers, or holy people?

While they may be called saints, etc., notice that the Bible warns that false ones will look like the real thing:

12…I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works (2 Corinthians 11:12-15).

Regarding Catholic private prophecies, Desmond A. Birch, a Roman Catholic writer, has made the following observations:

Several private prophecies of canonized Saints specifically state that there will be a latter restoration of the Holy Roman Empire and that there will be at least one last Holy Roman Emperor. The authenticity of the authorship of such prophecies of canonized Saints (e.g., St. Hildegard, St. Vincent Ferrer, St. Francis of Paula, and St. John Vianney) at least over the last eight hundred years is scholastically unquestionable.

We are left with the options that:

(1) the prophecies are genuine,

(2) all of the Fathers and Saints, throughout the centuries who attested to some form of this tradition were deluded or mistaken in exactly the same way, or

(3) that they were all liars and part of a massive Catholic conspiracy which has spanned seventeen centuries, within which they are managed to tell exactly the same lies. (Birch, p.281)

I would tend to suggest that there are other options to consider.  I believe that various Catholic “prophets” have sometimes been deluded by demons and some have made statements from "the desires of their heart" (cf. Romans 1:2 Rheims NT) or "their imaginations" (KJV). It seems that certain of these prophecies are part of a Satanic conspiracy, sometimes with “Catholic” complicity, that has spanned more than seventeen centuries.

I would like to also emphasize that fact that not all the “prophecies” are written exactly the same way, which is consistent with demonic influence–as some “private prophecies” are in blatant contradiction to others.  Furthermore, related to the final “Holy Roman Emperor”, there are many Catholic and biblical prophecies that warn that the one who will raise up an ecumenical changed church (apparently calling itself “Catholic”) and that this is NOT a good thing.  It seems that some “Catholic” writers have unintentionally advocated the rise of one that sounds the same as the Beast of Revelation 13.

Understanding part of God’s plan and trying to affect outcome is consistent with Satan’s practices in the past (cf. Matthew 4:3-11)–hence some of these so-called “Catholic” mystics simply are not being influenced by some ungodly force. Also, remember that the Apostle Paul taught:

9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices (2 Corinthians 2:9-11).

I strongly believe that part of the reason that Jesus showed John what was in the Book of Revelation was because it was clear what Satan was going to try to do to annihilate the true Church. Of course, God also knew that Satan’s first attempt would be to kill Jesus as an infant (hence the prophecies about that in Jeremiah 31:15; Matthew 2:17-18) and that that attempt would fail.

Probably immediately after Revelation was penned, Satan realized that he somehow needed to get major portions of humanity to reject Revelation as written–and his plan to do that has succeeded to a major degree.

The Apostle Paul warned that in the end-times signs and wonders would deceive many:

7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, 12 that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:7-12).

Since the Bible warns about this in advance, you do not have to be deceived.  Now is the time to change and embrace the Christianity of the Bible.  The Christianity that was first faithfully practiced in Jerusalem, Rome, and Asia Minor, until people compromised and changed it (see Location of the Early Church: Another Look at Ephesus, Smyrna, and Rome).

The truth is that I believe that demons have spoken to and responded to some priests/nuns/mystics. I believe that the purpose is generally to confuse people so that they will NOT believe what is in the Bible–especially to how it relates to end-time prophecy.  And while not all of the visions are in error, no one should trust them beyond the Bible. Relying on any of them that contradict scripture will confuse many Catholics in the end time. Even various popes (Benedict XIV and XVI come to mind) have warned not to rely on "private revelations" that seem to contradict sacred scripture.

Though some Protestants understand some parts of Revelation now (but normally only a few parts), many misunderstand much of it (for one example, see Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church?). Thus, most Protestants will, similar to many of those affiliated with Rome, not truly understand what is happening prophetically as they truly do not normally understand much Revelation or many other prophetic books in the Bible. Many of them, like much of the rest of the world, will accept the ecumenical religion that will form and call itself "Catholic" as the correct church.

But everyone, be they Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Protestant, unbelievers, or even in the true Church of God need to "walk by faith, not by sight", as the Apostle Paul taught in the Bible (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Thus, do not allow yourself to be persuaded by stigmatics, apparitions claiming to be Mary, or other lying wonders. They are not part of the original, true Church of God. And you, if you truly have a willing heart and able mind, can prove this for yourself (for additional details see and What Do Roman Catholic Scholars Actually Teach About Early Church History? and Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Continuing Church of God?).

Are Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies Relevant to Greco-Roman Catholics in the 21st Century?

The majority of Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies in this article are centuries old.

Do modern Greco-Roman Catholics consider prophecies to be relevant today?

Well some do.

Plus, since many are mirror-images of biblical prophecies, they are relevant in the 21st century.

Now, notice the following:

Prayers — and Royalty — Never Die: The Habsburg Dynasty

October 21, 2019

Archduke Rudolf of Austria, 69, is a very busy man. Having worked in the financial sector for decades, he now concentrates on holiness: promoting the cause for beatification of his grandmother, Servant of God Zita, the last empress of Austria; monitoring progress toward sainthood of his grandfather, Blessed Charles I (or Karl), the last emperor of Austria and the last king of Hungary (who reigned from Nov. 21, 1916-Nov. 11, 1918); being a father to eight children, including four in religious life; and supporting favorite charities, ... and co-founding the Zermatt Summit, dedicated to “humanizing globalization” and projecting the Catholic Church’s social teaching as an antidote to the World Economic Forum at Davos, Switzerland.

In a rare interview, senior international correspondent Victor Gaetan spoke to the humble paterfamilias to learn more about the enduring devotion of this legendary Catholic family, a pillar of European civilization, the Habsburgs. ...

At your talk at University of Notre Dame six years ago, you told a fascinating story about Pope Pius X’s prophesy that your grandfather would become the emperor when he was not a direct successor at the time. Did Empress Zita tell you that story herself, or did you read it?

Both. I knew her very well because she was not only my grandmother but also my godmother. We had a close relationship.

Between the two wars, she testified for the beatification of Pius X, and one of the accounts she shared was this: In 1911, she visited the Pope to receive a blessing for her upcoming marriage.

The Holy Father said, “When you and Charles become emperor and empress, you will have to do whatever you can to make peace in Europe.” He added, “Charles is the present from God to Austria and your family for being faithful to the Church and the faith.”

Yet in 1911, Emperor Franz Josef was on the throne and his nephew Franz Ferdinand, the heir, was still alive. His assassination in 1914, which triggered World War I, put your grandfather in the line of succession. So the Pope gave your grandmother a mission, an assignment that was puzzling to her.

Absolutely, and devotion to peace was their way of life, so it was not a problem. ...

Your grandfather died tragically at the age of 35 of pneumonia in 1922, leaving your grandmother to raise eight children in exile, with few resources. Yet she never lost faith and lived a long life. She died in 1989, at age 96. How did she explain why God allowed the evil that invaded Europe in the 20th century, such as communism?

She followed very closely what happened with the Church, and she knew very well about Fatima since 1917 [which occurred while her husband was emperor].

One of the mysteries of Fatima was that if the world did not convert, the communists would spread their bad ideology throughout the world, until Russia was consecrated to the Holy Virgin Mary. Finally, it was Pope John Paul II who did that. And then, obviously, communism fell. ...

Please give our readers some examples of how you and your wife bolstered the children in faith.   

We took them to Mass often, even during the week. We made sure they went to holy confession. In our days, you can’t say, “Children: Go to church!” You have to say, “Come with us to church.” It is not the way it was 50 or 60 years ago.

We made pilgrimages with them, for example, to Medjugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina and to Częstochowa in Poland. http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/prayers-and-royalty-never-die-the-habsburg-dynasty

Notice that the Archduke mentioned several prophecies, as well as Medjugorje where more have come out from.

So, as this example shows, there are leaders who take Greco-Roman Catholic prophecies seriously. Others will do so in the future as more appear to come to pass or otherwise seem important.

Conclusion

There have been many mystics, stigmatics, priests, and others who have claimed to have had visions or received understanding about what the future holds. And some of them have been correct, and some will be correct in the future (at least to a degree, though sometimes in a manner opposite of what they proclaimed).

Even though this paper contains many quotes from approved Greco-Roman Catholic sources, Roman Catholics are generally free to accept or not accept the teachings that come from private prophecy.

Furthermore, for Roman Catholics, it needs to be understood:

The Apocalyse ... has never been interpreted as ex-Cathedra by the Church. The Apocalypse is now actually being enacted day by day in our times, and is, therefore being interpreted for us (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. 82).

In other words, the Roman Catholic Church has a lot of wiggle-room in the area of prophecy. But I strongly feel that those leading a changed version of it in the future will pick and choose to try to persuade everyone that they have always been the true and correct Church--even when they support and implement major changes to it. It appears that those ecumenical ones at the end will somehow refer to select private prophecies that their understanding is least "tradition" that supports what they are doing. Yet, the faithful in the Church of God will rely on the Apocalypse (the Book of Revelation) and the other prophetic books of the Bible as written.

And those who rely on private prophecies over the revealed word of God will be seriously misled. But both the Bible and private prophecies warn of an ecumenical world religion to rise up that will apparently call itself "Catholic"--this will be a changed Catholic Church, thus even if you are Greco-Roman Catholic you should accept those warnings and NOT follow the dictator (Beast) and antipope (Antichrist) that will likely come on to the world scene sometime next decade.

I strongly believe that there have been certain private Roman Catholic prophecies that are going to contribute to the deception of Antichrist and that this paper contains several of them (see also Do Certain Catholic Prophecies About Antichrist Warn Against Jesus?). A false leader, that Catholic prophecies consider to be the Great Monarch, will deceive many (see also The Great Monarch: Biblical and Catholic Prophecies).

In my opinion, Satan has clearly been preparing some within the Catholic and Orthodox churches in particular (the Protestants have their issues, for one example, see Is There A Secret Rapture for the Church? When and Where is the Church Protected?), and the world in general, for his plan at the end.

And soon, when someone starts a new religious order and claims that it is "Catholic," this will not cause as much massive suspicion, as it should. This is a major reason why the entire world will be deceived. Believe the Bible and do not be deceived by aspects of Satan's Plan.

But you, personally, do not have to be deceived (cf. Matthew 24:24).

A YouTube video of possibly related interest may be Will Pope Benedict's resignation lead to the prophesied Antichrist?

Thiel B. Greco-Roman Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? www.cogwriter.com/catholicprophecy.htm (c) 2008/2009/2010/2011/2012/2013/2015/2016/2017/2018/2019/2020 0/2022 /2023 1222

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Appendix A: Some Additional Fulfilled Private Prophecies/Apparitions Accepted by the Roman Catholic Church

From The Catholic Encyclopedia:

The more noteworthy of the prophecies bearing upon "latter times" seem to have one common end, to announce great calamities impending over mankind, the triumph of the Church, and the renovation of the world. All the seers agree in two leading features as outlined by E.H. Thompson in his "Life of Anna Maria Taigi" (ch. 18): "First they all point to some terrible convulsion, to a revolution springing from most deep-rooted impiety, consisting in a formal opposition to God and His truth, and resulting in the most formidable persecution to which the Church has ever been subject. Secondly, they all promise for the Church a victory more splendid than she has ever achieved here below. We may add another point in which there is a remarkable agreement in the catena of modern prophecies, and that is the peculiar connection between the fortunes of France and those of the Church and the Holy See, and also the large part which that country has still to play in the history of the Church and of the world, and will continue to play to the end of time."...

Prophecies of St. Malachy

The most famous and best known prophecies about the popes are those attributed to St. Malachy. In 1139 he went to Rome to give an account of the affairs of his diocese to the pope, Innocent II, who promised him two palliums for the metropolitan Sees of Armagh and Cashel. While at Rome, he received (according to the Abbé Cucherat) the strange vision of the future wherein was unfolded before his mind the long list of illustrious pontiffs who were to rule the Church until the end of time. The same author tells us that St. Malachy gave his manuscript to Innocent II to console him in the midst of his tribulations, and that the document remained unknown in the Roman Archives until its discovery in 1590 (Cucherat, "Proph. de la succession des papes", ch. xv). They were first published by Arnold de Wyon, and ever since there has been much discussion as to whether they are genuine predictions of St. Malachy or forgeries. The silence of 400 years on the part of so many learned authors who had written about the popes, and the silence of St. Bernard especially, who wrote the "Life of St. Malachy", is a strong argument against their authenticity, but it is not conclusive if we adopt Cucherat's theory that they were hidden in the Archives during those 400 years.

These short prophetical announcements, in number 112, indicate some noticeable trait of all future popes from Celestine II, who was elected in the year 1143, until the end of the world. They are enunciated under mystical titles. Those who have undertaken to interpret and explain these symbolical prophecies have succeeded in discovering some trait, allusion, point, or similitude in their application to the individual popes, either as to their country, their name, their coat of arms or insignia, their birth-place, their talent or learning, the title of their cardinalate, the dignities which they held etc. For example, the prophecy concerning Urban VIII is Lilium et Rosa (the lily and the rose); he was a native of Florence and on the arms of Florence figured a fleur-de-lis; he had three bees emblazoned on his escutcheon, and the bees gather honey from the lilies and roses. Again, the name accords often with some remarkable and rare circumstance in the pope's career; thus Peregrinus apostolicus (pilgrim pope), which designates Pius VI, appears to be verified by his journey when pope into Germany, by his long career as pope, and by his expatriation from Rome at the end of his pontificate. Those who have lived and followed the course of events in an intelligent manner during the pontificates of Pius IX, Leo XIII, and Pius X cannot fail to be impressed with the titles given to each by the prophecies of St. Malachy and their wonderful appropriateness: Crux de Cruce (Cross from a Cross) Pius IX; Lumen in caelo (Light in the Sky) Leo XIII; Ignis ardens (Burning Fire) Pius X. There is something more than coincidence in the designations given to these three popes so many hundred years before their time. We need not have recourse either to the family names, armorial bearings or cardinalatial titles, to see the fitness of their designations as given in the prophecies. The afflictions and crosses of Pius IX were more than fell to the lot of his predecessors; and the more aggravating of these crosses were brought on by the House of Savoy whose emblem was a cross. Leo XIII was a veritable luminary of the papacy. The present pope is truly a burning fire of zeal for the restoration of all things to Christ.

The last of these prophecies concerns the end of the world and is as follows: "In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock amid many tribulations, after which the seven-hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people. The End." It has been noticed concerning Petrus Romanus, who according to St. Malachy's list is to be the last pope, that the prophecy does not say that no popes will intervene between him and his predecessor designated Gloria olivæ. It merely says that he is to be the last, so that we may suppose as many popes as we please before "Peter the Roman". Cornelius a Lapide refers to this prophecy in his commentary "On the Gospel of St. John" (C. xvi) and "On the Apocalypse" (cc. xvii-xx), and he endeavours to calculate according to it the remaining years of time...

There are many other private prophecies concerning the remote and proximate signs which will precede the General Judgment and concerning Antichrist, such as those attributed to St. Hildegarde, St. Bridget of Sweden, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (the "three days' darkness"), the Curé d'Ars, and many others. These do not enlighten us any more than do the Scriptural prophecies as to the day and the hour of that judgment, which still remains a Divine secret. (Devine, Arthur. Transcribed by Marie Jutras. Prophecy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume XII. Published 1911. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

Note: Some Catholics question the validity of the Malachy list and various other private prophecies.

Hildegard of Bingen apparently foresaw are pollution and weather turmoil in the end times as she wrote:

There will be no justice then, because the greenness of virtue will have withered. The freshness of the earth will also dry up, because the atmosphere will no longer be pure, as it was originally. Summers will become cold and winters will be hot...No one does what is right and the Church is abandoned (Butcher, Carmen A. A Spiritual Reader, Hildegard of Bingen. Paraclete Press, Brrewster (MA), 2007, p. 157).

It probably should also be added that there was an Russia Orthodox saint priest named Seraphim (1759-1833) who mentioned Russia in a prophecy that also seems to have come to pass:

Seraphim left a letter concerning prophecy of Russian history that assumed greater significance after 1917, for it was "about the fall and resurrection of Russia . . . a prophecy concerning those horrors and misfortunes which would befall Russia . . . about the pardon and salvation of Russia." One who read the prophecy could not remember exactly when the salvation and deliverance of Russia would come, but it would be "in any case, in the later years of the 20th century." (Fanning S. Mystics of the Christian Tradition. Routeldge, New York. 2001, reprinted 2006, p. 56)

The following comment from Julian of Norwich (1342 to after 1416) suggests something of interest:

In one of her most famous images, God showed her all that was made and it was so little, no bigger than a hazelnut in the palm of her hand, "so little that it could fall into nothing" (Fanning S. Mystics of the Christian Tradition. Routeldge, New York. 2001, reprinted 2006, p. 125).

The reason that the above was of interest is that it has only been in quite recent times that scientists have believed that if all empty space was removed from the universe between the protons, neutrons, and electrons, that the entire universe would be no bigger than Julian's hazelnut. To me, this actually helps prove that there is a spirit world, but not that the Catholic mystics have been inspired by God.

A little bit more about Fatima from a Catholic source:

During the Sunday Angelus he presided over this morning, Pope Benedict recalled today the apparitions in Fatima and the prophecy uttered by the “Lady of White Light” to the shepherds: “In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph.”  He recalled as well the miraculous saving of his predecessor John Paul II by “the intervention of a maternal hand.”

Yesterday was the 25th anniversary of the assassination attempt against Pope Wojtyla, in which the “Servant of God, John Paul II, felt he had been miraculously saved from death by the intervention of ‘a maternal hand’, as he himself used to say. His entire pontificate was marked by what the Virgin pronounced at Fatima”.

Only yesterday, the statue of Our Lady of Fatima was welcomed in St Peter’s Square by tens of thousands of believers, and a plaque was unveiled in the square on the exact spot where the attempt to take the life of the Polish Pope took place.

Benedict XVI recalled that the message the Virgin entrusted in Fatima, “was a strong call to prayer and conversion. It was a truly prophetic message considering that the XX century was ravaged by unheard-of destruction caused by wars and totalitarian regimes, as well as long drawn out persecution against the Church”. (Benedict XVI recalls miraculous saving of Pope John Paul II in assassination attempt. Catholic News Agency. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=6719 01/27/07).

More on Fatima, From a Non-Catholic Source:

Third Vision of Fatima Revealed

Vatican Announcement Stuns the World

"Understand this: the vision shows the time of the End."
Daniel 8:17

_____________


On Saturday, May 13, 2000, the 83rd anniversary of the Fatima vision, the Roman Catholic Church, under the direction of the Bishop of Rome, revealed the contents of the third vision of Fatima to the world.

The startling announcement was front page news all across the world. The Los Angeles Times, for instance, wrote that the "the third secret of Fatima had become one of the most intriguing mysteries of modern times."

According to Vatican sources, the vision described a bishop in white, agonizingly making his way to the Cross through a sea of corpses of Christian martyrs, suddenly cut down by a fusilade of bullets. Together with the revelation, the Vatican gave an interpretation that applied in part, but failed to address completely major elements of the prophecy.

Vatican officials concluded that the third Fatima prophecy applied to the past, especially to the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square in 1981.

The Vatican found compelling evidence to make this association during the subsequent trial of Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish gunman. During his 1985 trial Agca made the statement that his assassination attempt was "connected to the third secret of the Madonna of Fatima." (Agca made his attack on May 13, 1981. The apparition at Fatima first occurred on May 13, 1917, exactly 64 years to the day earlier).

This day, the 13th day, seemed to follow all through the prophecy and its aftermath. On that day in May of 1917, and on the 13th of every month thereafter, until October of 1917, a period of 5 months, the visions appeared to Lucia and the other two schoolchildren with her. Pope John Paul's assassination attempt on the 13th of May in 1981 only added to the speculation concerning the prophecy and now Lucia's own death on the 13th of February in 2005 seems to have sealed the symbolism and insured that God truly was its source.

The question that remains is whether or not Pope John Paul II was the end of it. The prophecies insist that he was not.

The Vatican, and especially Pope John Paul II, found the coincidence of dates compelling, but they were completely awestruck by Mehmet Ali Agca's later trial announcement because no one knew the contents of the prophecy except for the Pope himself and a very few of the highest Papal Cardinals. The obvious conclusion was that Agca must have been inspired to make that claim through supernatural means. It meant that the Holy Spirit had used the gunman to verify the truth of the Fatima prophecy.

If any questions about the truth of the prophecies remained, they were swept away by Agca's comments. The incident guaranteed a permanent embrace of Lucia dos Santos' visions by the Catholic Church. All three visions were defined as true prophecy and Lucia's two cousins, partners to the vision, were beatified by the Pope. Lucia herself could not be beatified at the same time because she is still alive.

The first vision predicted the end of World War I and the coming of World War II. The second was an appeal to pray for the conversion of Russia, which occurred with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992. The third vision, sealed by Lucia under orders that it could not be opened until 1960 (apparently by the instruction of the vision of Mary), was never revealed. Not until now.

Agca's claim with respect to Fatima and the fact that he said he had not acted alone (many high officials say he was a paid gunman acting under orders of the Soviet Union and communist Bulgaria) seem to tie the Fatima prophecies to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the second of the three aspects of the visions. The actions of Pope John Paul II following the assassination attempt played a central role in that collapse and the subsequent re-conversion of Russia, starting first with Perestroika in 1984 and leading to the total collapse of Russian communism in 1992.

Those events, and the fact that the papal shooting coincided with the anniversary of the Fatima visions made a deep and personal impact on John Paul II. He felt that his life had been spared by Mary, the Virgin of Fatima, for the purpose of the prophecy, especially with respect to his role in the conversion of Russia. John Paul realized that these visions came from the Holy Spirit and were very important.

The facts surrounding the second vision speak for themselves and cannot be argued. However, the Vatican's interpretation of the third vision seems to leave large vacancies. (http://goodnewschristianministry.org/fatima-prophecy.htm 01/27/07).

For more Fatima details and a lot of other Catholic prophecies, check out the book Fatima Shock! What the Vatican Does Not Want You to Know About Fatima, Dogmas of Mary, and Future Apparitions.

Ambrose, Bishop of Havilburg, wrote in approximately 1145 AD,

"The white horse typifies the earliest state of the church, white with the luster of miraculous gifts: the rider Christ, with the bow of evangelical doctrine ... The red horse is the next state of the church, red with the blood of martyrdom; from Stephen the proto-martyr to the martyrs under Diocletian ... The black horse depicts the Church's third state, blackened after Constantine's time with heresies ... The pale horse signified the Church's fourth state, colored with the hue of hypocrisy ... This state he makes to have commenced from the beginning of the fifth century ..." (Horae, Vol. 3, p. 383). Highlights of Historicism by Steve Wohlberg http://whitehorsemedia.com/articles/details.cfm?art=71

Some comments related to Victorinus (3rd century):

Arrived thus at the opening of the Seals, Victorinus explains the four horses and riders of the first four Seals as indicating respectively the triumphant progress of the Gospel, begun from after Christ’s ascension, [68] and the wars, famines, [69] and pestilences, [70] which Christ said would precede his second coming: also the fifth Seal’s souls under the altar, as marking the continuous persecutions and martyrdoms of Christ’s saints; for whose consolation, till the last great day of retribution, white robes, or joys of the Holy Spirit, are given: the region under the brazen altar of vision figuring the place under-ground where the separate spirits rest; [71] while the place of the golden altar (as being that to which our offerings of prayer and praise are brought) [72] typified heaven. Further, the earthquake of the sixth Seal he makes to be the last persecution: [73] that wherein the darkening of the true doctrine to the unfaithful would answer to the eclipsed sun in the vision, and the bloodshed of martyr-saints to the moon like blood: the falling away of vain professors from the Church, under force of persecution, fulfilling the symbol of the falling stars from heaven; and the removal of the Church itself from public sight that of the rolling away of the figured firmament...http://www.historicism.com/Elliott/Appendix1-1.htm

Thus, there are certain prophetic interpretations amongst those that claim the Greco-Roman Catholic faiths.

Appendix B: Roman Catholic Heresy Defined

In this paper, many issues have been raised. And sometimes, the mystics/writers have used the terms heresy, heretics, apostates, or heresies. As many do not know how the Church of Rome actually defines them, I felt that having them so defined in this appendix could be helpful for some.

Heresy

From The Catholic Encyclopedia:

Heresy thus willed is imputable to the subject and carries with it a varying degree of guilt; it is called formal, because to the material error it adds the informative element of "freely willed".

Pertinacity, that is, obstinate adhesion to a particular tenet is required to make heresy formal. For as long as one remains willing to submit to the Church's decision he remains a Catholic Christian at heart and his wrong beliefs are only transient errors and fleeting opinions...

On the other hand a born Catholic may allow himself to drift into whirls of anti-Catholic thought from which no doctrinal authority can rescue him, and where his mind becomes incrusted with convictions, or considerations sufficiently powerful to overlay his Catholic conscience. (Wilhelm J. Transcribed by Mary Ann Grelinger. Heresy. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII. Published 1910. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Nihil Obstat, June 1, 1910. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York).

From Catholic Answers:

What Is Heresy?

Heresy is an emotionally loaded term that is often misused. It is not the same thing as incredulity, schism, apostasy, or other sins against faith. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him" (CCC 2089).

To commit heresy, one must refuse to be corrected. A person who is ready to be corrected or who is unaware that what he has been saying is against Church teaching is not a heretic.

A person must be baptized to commit heresy. This means that movements that have split off from or been influenced by Christianity, but that do not practice baptism (or do not practice valid baptism), are not heresies, but separate religions. Examples include Muslims, who do not practice baptism, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, who do not practice valid baptism.

Finally, the doubt or denial involved in heresy must concern a matter that has been revealed by God and solemnly defined by the Church (for example, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist, the sacrifice of the Mass, the pope’s infallibility, or the Immaculate Conception and Assumption of Mary).

(The Great Heresies. NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the materials presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors. Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004 IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827 permission to publish this work is hereby granted. +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004 http://www.catholic.com/library/Great_Heresies.asp 01/19/07)

What is an apostate?

Apostasy...The heretic differs from the apostate in that he only denies one or more of the doctrines of revealed religion, whereas the apostate denies the religion itself, a sin which has always been looked upon as one of the most grievous...

In order, however, to incur these penalties, it is necessary, in accordance with the general principles of canon law, that the apostasy should be shown in some way. Apostates, with all who receive, protect, or befriend them, incur excommunication, reserved speciali modo to the Sovereign Pontiff (Constitution Apostolicæ Sedis, n° 1). They incur, moreover, the note of "infamy", at least when their apostasy is notorious, and are "irregular"; an infamy and an irregularity which extend to the son and the grandson of an apostate father, and to the son of an apostate mother, should the parents die without being reconciled to the Church [Decree of Gratian, Distinction L, xxxii; V, tit. 2, ii, xv of the sixth book of the Decretals (Friedberg, I, 191, II, 1069 and 1075)]. Most authors, however, are of opinion that the irregularity affects only the children of parents who have joined some particular sect, or who have been personally condemned by ecclesiastical authority [Gasparri, De sacrâ ordinatione (Paris, 1893), II, 288 and 294; Lehmkuhl, Theologia moralis (Freiburg im Br., 1898), II, 725; Wernz, Jus decretalium (Rome, 1899), II, 200; Hollweck, Die kirchlichen Strafgesetze (Mainz, 1899), 162]. Apostates are debarred from ecclesiastical burial (Decretals of Gregory IX, Bk. V, title 7, viii, Friedberg, II, 779). Any writings of theirs, in which they uphold heresy and schism, or labour to undermine the foundations of faith, are on the Index, and those who read them incur the excommunication reserved, speciali modo to the Sovereign Pontiff [Constitution of Leo XIII, Officiorum et munerum, 25 January, 1897, i, v; Vermeersch, De prohibitione et censurâ librorum (Rome, 1901), 3d ed., 57, 112]. (Van Hove, Alphonse. "Apostasy." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Nihil Obstat. March 1, 1907. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 30 Dec. 2008 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01624b.htm>)

Now, I would however, suggest that those that departed from "the faith once for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3) would best defined as heretics and apostates.

Those truly interested in knowing what the original doctrines of the true Christian church was, who changed doctrines, and who still holds to the original doctrines, should carefully read and study the free online book: Beliefs of the Original Catholic Church.

Appendix C: Other Unclassified Writings

In this appendix are some other writings, in no particular order that I may eventually reclassify somewhere else.

Who is correct? The Church of God or the what appears to be the predominant view within modern Catholicism?

And while that should be clear to any with eyes to see (for more details, please study Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Genuine Church of God?), perhaps a few scriptures here would also be appropriate.

The scriptures warn about those that use foreign gods, idols, and other practices of demons:

Deut 32:16-17
They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, NKJV

1 Cor 10:20-22
0 Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. 21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord's table and of the table of demons. 22 Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He? NKJV

Rev 9:20
But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk NKJV

James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! NKJV

Rev 16:13-14
3 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty NKJV

Rev 18:2
2 And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, "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! NKJV

Yet, the Roman Church has embraced images and idols in violation of both scripture and tradition. For proof of what the early true church taught about images, please study the article What Did the Early Church Teach About Idols and Icons?

Here are some additional unclassified Catholic prophetic writings:

St. Methodius (385). "A day will come when the enemies of Christ will boast...Then a Roman emperor will rise in great fury against them...In the last period Christians will not appreciate the great grace of God who provided a Great Monarch, a long duration of peace, a splendid fertility of the earth...Many men will wonder if the Catholic faith is the true and only saving one and whether the Jews are perhaps correct when they still expect the Messias (Culleton, p. 110).

St. Hildegard (d. 1179). "The time is coming when princes and peoples will renouce the authority of the Pope. Individual countries will prefer their own Church rulers to the Pope. The German Empire will be divided. Church property will be secularized. Priests will be persecuted. After the birth of Anti-Christ heretics will preach their false doctrines undisturbed, resulting in 'Christians having doubts about their holy Catholic faith'" (Culleton, The Prophets and Our Times, p.139).

Fatima (20th century). Our Lady said: "If my requests are granted, Russia will be converted and there will be peace. If not, Russia will spread her errors in every country, raising up wars and persecution against the Church; many will be martyred. The Holy Father will have much to suffer, and many nations will be destroyed." (Dupont, p.81)

Rufinus: Yet it behoves us to know that the enemy is wont to counterfeit this salutary advent of Christ with cunning fraud in order to deceive the faithful, and in the place of the Son of Man, Who is looked for as coming in the majesty of His Father, to prepare the Son of Perdition with prodigies and lying signs, that instead of Christ he may introduce Antichrist into the world (Rufinus. Commentary on the Apostles' Creed, The Creed of Aquileia, Chapter 34).

St. Bridget of Sweden (died 1373): Sweden shall see again the true light of Faith, when it will be governed by a queen born with eleven fingers. (Rossi G. THE CHRISTIAN TRUMPET, OR, Previsions and Predictions about Impending General Calamities, The Universal Triumph of the Church, The Coming of Antichrist, The Last Judgment, and The End of the World. Compiled by PELLEGRINO [Gaudentius Rossi], A Missionary Priest with Superior's permission. Boston, THOS. B. NOONAND & CO., 1873, p. 24)

St. Bridget of Sweden (died 1373): Before, however, Antichrist arrives, the gate of Faith will be opened to some nations, and the Scripture shall be verified. People without intelligence shall glorify me, and deserts shall be inhibited. (Rossi, p. 24)

G. Rossi (1873): It is not unlikely, but, on the contrary, a well-founded rumor warns us, that an attempt will be made at the first opportunity to thrust upon St. Peter’s throne an anti-pope, in order to create a schism in the Church Catholic. They have adopted the maxim: Division is weakness. Divide et impera. Divide to crush. (Rossi, p.97)

G. Rossi (1873): However, whether David Lazzaretti is really or not the holy founder of the new religious order foretold in each of St. Francis’s letters, yet the four hundred years fixed by the saint in his fourth letter have arrived, or at least are very near. That letter is dated January 13, 1489; we are now in the year 1873. But the saint prophesied that four hundred years should not pass before the new great religious order should be established. (Rossi, p. 115)

Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser: All heresies shall be banished...the Turkish Empire shall be broken up, and all nations shall come to and worship their God in the true Catholic and Roman faith (Rossi, p. 121)

Sister Mary Lataste (19th century): Peace shall return to the world, because the blessed Virgin Mary will breathe over the storms, and shall quell them. Her name will be praised, blessed, and exalted forever. Prisoners or captives shall recover their liberty; exiles shall return to their country, and the unfortunate or unhappy shall be restored to peace and happiness. Between the most august Mary and her clients there will be a mutual exchange of prayers and graces, of love and affection. From the east to the west, from the north to the south, all shall proclaim the holy name of Mary: Mary, conceived without original sin; Mary, queen of Heaven and Earth, amen. (Rossi, p. 124)

Elizabeth Mora (29th of June, 1820): Then it seemed to me to behold the heavens opening, and St. Peter, prince of the Apostles, coming down, surrounded with great glory and by a numerous escort of heavenly spirits, singing canticles. St. Peter was dressed in his pontifical robes and held in his right hand the pastoral staff, with which he used to draw upon the Earth an immense cross; at the same time the angels sang these words of the Psalmist, Constitues eos principes super omnem terram, — you will constitute them princes over the whole Earth...As soon as St. Peter, the prince of the Apostles, had gathered the flock of Jesus in a place of safety, he re-ascended into Heaven, accompanied by legions of angels. Scarcely had they disappeared, when the sky was covered with clouds so dense and dismal that it was impossible to look at them without dismay. On a sudden there burst out such a terrible and violent wind, that its noise seemed like the roars of furious lions. (Rossi, p. 127)

Elizabeth Mora (29th of June, 1820): St. Peter then chose the new pope. The Church was again organized; religious orders were reestablished; the private families of ordinary Christians, through their great fervor and seal for the glory of God, became like the most exemplary religious communities. Such is the glorious triumph reserved for the Catholic Church; she shall be praised, honored, and esteemed by all men. All men shall become Catholics, and shall acknowledge the Pope as Vicar of Jesus Christ. (Rossi, pp. 128-129)

Rodolphus Gekner: Before the middle of the nineteenth century seditions shall arise in Europe, especially in France, Switzerland, and Italy. Republics will be proclaimed, monarchs will be killed, high and zealous ecclesiastics will be murdered, and religious persons will have to leave their monasteries and convents. Famine, pestilence, and earthquakes shall destroy many cities. Rome shall by wicked men be deprived of her scepter. The Church of God will first be subject to pay tribute, then she will be despoiled of her temporalities. Some time after, the Pope shall be no more. [This as well as other prophecies seems very clearly to indicate a long vacancy in the holy Roman See.] A great prince of the North with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all republics, and exterminate all rebels. His sword, moved by Divine power, will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He will combat in behalf of the true orthodox faith, and shall subdue to his dominion the Mahometan Empire. A new pastor of the universal Church (Pastor Funalis) will come from the shore (of Dalmatia) through a celestia1 prodigy, and in simplicity of heart adorned with the doctrines of Jesus Christ. Peace will be restored to the world. (Rossi, p. 132)

Magdalene Porsat (19th century): The ark comes out of the storm, and a calm ensues. (Rossi, p. 134)

Magdalene Porsat (19th century): A grand event shall have to take place in order to terrify the wicked to their advantage. After this, Mary, all-powerful, shall change all men into good wheat. All shall be good. The Pharisees (the hypocrites) will be the last (to be converted); the great brigands (great sinners) will arrive beforehand. The Jews who have refused to receive Jesus Christ in his humiliation will acknowledge him at the glorious arrival of Mary...The hour is not far distant. It is Mary in person! (Rossi, p. 135)

G. Rossi (1873): It is universally believed that this great Irish prelate and saint wrote the remarkable and short prophetical predictions whereby he indicates some noticeable trait of all the future popes from Celestine II, who was elected in the year 1130, until the end of time. The authenticity of these prophecies is proved at great length by the learned Father Menestrier in his treatise on the prophecies of St. Malachy. They are also approved by Moreri in his Biographical Dictionary, under the word Malachia, and by Sandini in his Lives of the Roman Pontiff; also in the Elements of History of the Abbé Vallemont, published in 1702; and Cornelius à Lapide, Comment in joanem, Capt. X.. No .16, mentions it. (Rossi, p. 136)

G. Rossi (1873): Finally, according to the predictions of Holzhauser (page 120), there will be another anti-pope contemporaneous with Antichrist, who will greatly help him in his persecution against the true Church and religion of Jesus Christ. It is supposed that this last anti-pope will be that mentioned by St. Malachy, under the designation of De Medietate lune, — From the Half of the Moon. If, therefore, we admit that Petrus Romanus, or Peter the second of this name, coincides with that called Gloria Olive, — Glory of the Olive, only ten popes remain; and if from these ten popes we subtract two anti-popes, their number is evidently reduced to eight. Now, by calculation it is found that the average number of years of the popes on the chair of St. Peter is seven, rather less than more. In fact, to the present year, or rather to 1846, there have been two hundred and fifty-six popes. From this we may conclude how long this world is likely to last. But this subject will be more fully examined in the last part of this book, where we shall speak about the last judgment, the coming of Antichrist, and the end of time. (Rossi, p. 140)

Merlin Joachim (died 1202): It should be known that there will be two heads, one in the East and the other in the West. (Does this mean two emperors, or an anti-pope in the East?) This (true) Pope shall break the weapons and scatter the fighting hordes. He will be the joy of God’s elect. This angelic Pope will preach the gospel in every country. Through his zeal and solicitude, the Greek Church shall be forever reunited to the Catholic Church. At the beginning, in order to obtain these happy results, having need of a powerful temporal assistance, this holy Pontiff will ask the co-operation of the generous monarch of France. Before, however, being firmly and solidly established in the Holy See, there will be innumerable wars and violent conflicts, during which the sacred throne shall be shaken. But through the favor of Divine clemency, moved by the prayers of the faithful, everything will succeed so well that they shall be able to sing hymns of thanksgiving to the glory of the Lord. (Rossi, p. 143)

G. Rossi (1873): If the world is not yet entirely converted to Christianity, the blame is not on the head nor in the conscience of the Catholic Church. Greek schism and Protestant heresy shall soon have to answer at the bar of the dreaded tribunal of Jesus Christ for their obstinate war against Catholic faith and zeal. Russian ambition and tyranny, Russian diplomacy and intrigue, have during centuries paralyzed the energy and thwarted every effort of Catholic charity in the conversion of the Greek heretic and of the Mahometan infidel. The bitter Calvinism of Holland fired the torch of persecution in the East and West against the Catholic faith, and its sordid love for lucre made it to trample under foot in Japan the cross of Jesus Christ, which Xavier planted with his sweat, and his companions and disciples watered with Catholic blood. Ah! wretched Protestantism shall have to answer for the loss of faith and for the persecution of Christianity in Japan and elsewhere. English schism and heresy have squandered the treasures and abused their great temporal power, not only in persecuting the faith in Great Britain and Ireland, but also in banishing the true religion of Jesus Christ from their vast American possessions, and from their more populous and richer Indian Empire. The longdeserved punishment, however, is approaching from the North! If China, Cochin China, Tonkin, and Korea have most stubbornly refused to receive the true saving faith of the gospel, and cruelly persecuted and massacred Catholic bishops, missionaries, and religious who brought it to them, they have only themselves to blame and condemn. (Rossi, p. 175)

Nostradamus made a lot of writings:

Nostradamus (16th century): Meanwhile the great Asiatic Empire will spread across the sea and continents to destroy the Christian world (Culleton, p. 168).

Michel De Nostredame (Michael of our Lady). "Italy, emulating Ancient Rome, will raise great armies and put her wings high in the sky (planes). And at that time, great Bysantine sails (the British fleet based in the Middle East), with the help and power of Aquila (the American Eagle), shall meet the Ligustics (Italians) and hinder them so, that the two Cretans (the perfidious ones: Hitler and Mussolini), shall not keep their faith. In the sea, there shall be great commotion, beginning in the Panpotam (Sicily) to the European Mesopotamia (Italy) at forty-five and others, from forty-one, forty-two, and thirty-seven." (Dupont, pp.98-99)

From Nostradamus concerning the US? (Note: I have supplied two translations of each as well as the French)

X / 66  
The chief of London by rule of America,  
The Island of Scotland shall be tempered by frost, 
Kings and Priests shall have one, who is a false Anti-Christ 
Who will put them altogether in discord. 

C10:Q66

Le chef de Londres par regne l'Americh,
L'Isle d'Escosse tempiera par gelee:
Roy Reb auront vn si faux Antechrist,
Que les mettra trestous dans la meslee.

The chief of London through the realm of America,
The Isle of Scotland will be tried by frost:
King and "Reb" will face an Antichrist so false,
That he will place them in the conflict all together.

(Nostradamus. Les Propheties. 1840 Bareste edition.  http://yowusa.com/nostradamus/c10/61.shtml visted 10/22/07)

VI / 33   
His last hand bloody through all U.S.       
Shall not save him by sea,  
Between two rivers he shall fear the military hand,
The black and wrathful one shall be repentant.

XXXIII. Sa main derniere par Alus sanguinaire, Ne se pourra par la mer garentir: Entre deux fleuues craindre main militaire, Le noir l'ireux le fera repentir. His last hand through "Alus" sanguinary, He will be unable to protect himself by sea: Between two rivers he will fear the military hand, The black and irate one will make him rue it.

Nun Emmerich claimed (any bolding was added by me) :

September 10, 1820. "I saw the Church of St. Peter: it had been destroyed but for the Sanctuary and the main Altar. (Dupont, p.65)

1822...October 4...I fought against a whole legion of devils who excite minds against me and do all they can to harass me...They want to install bad Bishops. In one place they want to turn a Catholic church into a Lutheran meeting house...

Last night I had a vision of the Pope. I saw St. Francis carrying the church, and the basilica of St. Peter borne on the shoulders of a little man who had something of a Jew in his countenance. It looked very perilous. Mary stood on the north side of the chuch with her mantle extended over over it. The little man almost bent double. He is, as yet, a laic. I know who he is...It was only the pavement and the back part of the church, for all the rest had been destroyed by a secret society helped by the servants of the church themselves...

When I saw St. Peter's in this ruinous state and so many ecclesiastics laboring, though secretly, at its destruction, I was so overcome that I cried earnestly to Jesus for mercy...He told me that this translation of St. Peter's signified that the Church would fall to total ruin : but that raising on these supports, she would be raised again. Even if there should remain but one Catholic Christian, the Church would again triumph as its foundations were not cast in the intellect or councils of men...I was also told that there very few Christians, in the true sense of the word are found nowadays and that the Jews of our day are pure Pharisees, only more obstinate; only Judith's people in Africa belong to the ancient Jews (Emmerich AC. The Life and Revelations of Anne Catherine Emmerich. Schmöger edition, Vol. II. Approbation: Bishop of Limbourg Peter Joseph. Reprint TAN Books, Rockford (IL), 1976, p. 299-300).

The bolded passage above could have a several interpretations. The context seems at first to suggest that the little man is the Pope, if so, then it would seem to be a vision that after some destruction of Catholic properties, the little man will become Pope, perhaps a bad one. However since the little man is a laic, and not yet even a priest, this seems questionable. But, if the little man is the same as the little black man that looks like a Jew (as in her vision 3 nights earlier), then this seems to signify that one who is considered Catholic (all persons baptized Catholic, but not formally excommunicated, are considered to be Catholics according to a pronoucement by then Pope Benedict XVI) and not part of the clergy (a laic) will have something to due with the destruction of Roman Catholic influence. Since Nun Emmerich states "as yet" for being a laic, perhaps this "little man" will be one of the two witnesses, and one who may have affiliation with what is called "a secret society" above (Nun Emmerich also claimed to have seen a "secret sect" working for the destruction of Roman Catholicism in other "visions").

Notice:

Hildegard of Bingen (The italicized words are a vision she claims to have seen, while the non-italicized words are her explanation): After this I saw the image of a woman as large as a great city, with a wonderful crown on her head and arms from which a spendor hung like sleeves, shining from Heaven to earth. Her womb was pierced like a net with many openings, with a huge multitude of peole running in and out...I could not make out her attire, except that she was arrayed in great spendor and gleamed with lucid serenity, and on her breast shone a red glow like the dawn; and I heard a sound of all kinds of music singing about her, "Like the dawn, greatly sparkling." And that image spreads out its splendor like a garment, saying, "I must conceive and give birth!" And at once, like lightning, there hastened to her a multitude of angels, making steps and seats within her for people, by whom the image was to be perfected..

.Wherefore now you see the image of a woman as large as a great city; this designates the Bridge of My Son, who always bears her children by regeneration in the Spirit and in water, for the strong Warrior founded her on a wide base of virtue, that she might hold and perfect the great crowd of His elect; and no enemy can conquer or storm her...

Her womb was pierced like a net with many openings, with a huge multitude of people running in and out; that is, she displays her maternal kindness..And thus the Church is the virginal mother of all Christians, since by the mystery of the Holy Spirit she conceives and bears them...So she, beningly gazing on them, says in a sad voice that these children of hers will return again to dust (Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), pp. 169-175).

So Hildegard of Bingen indicated that something bad would come out of her church

She also wrote:

And fly from those who linger in caves and are cloistered supporters of the Devil. Woe to them, woe to them who remain thus! They are the Devil's very viscera, and the advance guard of the son of perdition.

Therefore, O you My beloved children, avoid them with all devotion and with all the strength of your souls and bodies. For the ancient serpent feeds and clothes them by his arts, and they worship him as God and trust in his false deceptions. They are wicked murderers, killing those who join them in simplicity before they can turn back from their error; and they are wicked fornicators upon themselves, destroying their semen in an act of murder and offering it to the Devil. And they also invade My Church with their schisms in the fulness of vice; in their shameful plots they wickedly scoff at baptism, and the sacrament of My Son's body and blood, and the other institutions of the Church. Because they are afraid of My people, they do not openly resist these institutions of Mine, but in their hearts and their deeds they hold them as nothing. By devilish illusion, they pretend to have sanctity; but they are deceived by the Devil, for if he were to show himself to them openly they would understand him and flee him. By his arts he shows them things he pretends are good and holy, and thus deludes them. O woe to those who persevere in this death!

But because the Devil knows he has only a short time for his error, he is not hastening to perfect infidelity in his members; you, you evil deceivers, who labor to subvert the Catholic faith. You are wavering and soft and thus cannot avoid the poisonous arrows of human corruption, which you employ as you wish against the Law. And after you pour out your lust in the poisonous seed of fornication, you pretend to pray and falsely assume an air of sanctity, which is more unworthy in My eyes than the stinking mire.

And thus for certain the punishment of all the schisms shall fall upon you: The one that arose in Horeb when the Jewish people made a graven image and played before it in devilish mockery, as some wantonly do to this very day; and the one about Baal, in which many perished; and the one about fornications, where the Midianites did shameful deeds; and all the others. For you have part in all of them by your evil actions; but you are worse than the earlier people, because you perceive the true law of God but stubbonly abandon it.

But, O you who desire to be saved and have received baptism and form the holy mountain of God, resist Satan, and do not descend from the height of your salvation.

(Hildegard of Bingen. Scivias. Paulist Press, Mahwah (NJ), pp. 301-302).

More related to the above can be found in the article There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra

Here are some interesting side notes of the Rheims' New Testament related to certain end-time views:

vThis often insinuateth
that Anti-christ's reign
shall be but three years
and a half (Dan. 7:25,
Apoc 11:2,3, and in
this chapter v. 6, c.
13:5) proveth that the
Heretics be
exceedingly blinded
with malice, that hold
the Pope to be Anti-
Christ, who hath ruled
so many ages.

The Church shall flee
as to a desert in Antichrist's
time, but not
decay or be unknown,
no not for so short a
time. (p. 556).

So, even some Catholic writings suggest that it is the true church that will flee. And that is what the Continuing Church of God still teaches today (There is a Place of Safety for the Philadelphians. Why it May Be Petra).

The following is not a prophecy, so much as a Catholic interpretation of prophecy:

It will be noted that there are two beasts described in Revelation 13, one from “the land” and one from “the sea.” Hence there are two adversaries: Unbelieving Jews (The beast from the Land, for Land = “Promised Land”) and Rome (the beast from the Sea, for “Sea” is a common symbol of the Gentiles). (Posted on November 25, 2012 by Msgr. Charles Pope Why the Modern View of the Book of Revelation may be Flawed. http://blog.adw.org/2012/11/why-the-modern-view-of-the-book-of-revelation-may-be-flawed/)