Indeed they will, just as they see nothing special in the coming Eclipse and sign coming in September. I have been amazed at this and have witnessed it several times now. It is as if there is a veil over their eyes.
The Great Monarch prophecies and all private revelation are not absolute prophecies in the same way that prophecies made in the pages of Sacred Scripture are. The Great Monarch prophecies must be not be restricted to the the age in which they were made. Any mystical vision given to seers at that time would have been tailored to the imagery and historical circumstances of the time. In order to correctly interpret any future meaning to a past conditional prophecy, we must put the historical imagery in context and look for the general meaning. This is difficult but failing to do so will only lead one on a wild goose chase.
I think that the prophecy I posted from Jasper the Peasant appears to be out of sync with many others. So I would be weary of that one. So many prophecies speak of civil upheaval in France and Italy in particular and the Great Monarch appears to be instrumental in putting an end to this civil upheaval. We will know better of course after the events have occurred. On another note, I think once November comes and if nothing appears to have happened in relation to the WCWTS sign I will feel less urgency towards these things. Right now, I feel prompted to keep everyone on alert so to speak.
Well, France is certainly seeing upheaval now although it is sporadic and dispersed I would bet that it will continue its fits and starts until this time. I suspect that events outside of France will influence this as well. It is good that you are paying attention Carol, and I look forward to your posts. They are very informative and I have learned a great deal from them. So thank you for your efforts.
Have a look at this: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0516.htm Hippolytus gives the Scriptural references: 14. Thus did the Scriptures preach before-time of this lion and lion's cub. And in like manner also we find it written regarding Antichrist. For Moses speaks thus: Dan is a lion's cub, and he shall leap from Bashan. Deuteronomy 33:22 But that no one may err by supposing that this is said of the Saviour, let him attend carefully to the matter. Dan, he says, is a lion's cub; and in naming the tribe of Dan, he declared clearly the tribe from which Antichrist is destined to spring. For as Christ springs from the tribe of Judah, so Antichrist is to spring from the tribe of Dan. And that the case stands thus, we see also from the words of Jacob: Let Dan be a serpent, lying upon the ground, biting the horse's heel. Genesis 49:17 What, then, is meant by the serpent but Antichrist, that deceiver who is mentioned in Genesis, Genesis 3:1 who deceived Eve and supplanted Adam (πτερνιAdam's heel)? But since it is necessary to prove this assertion by sufficient testimony, we shall not shrink from the task. 15. That it is in reality out of the tribe of Dan, then, that that tyrant and king, that dread judge, that son of the devil, is destined to spring and arise, the prophet testifies when he says, Dan shall judge his people, as (he is) also one tribe in Israel. Genesis 49:16 But some one may say that this refers to Samson, who sprang from the tribe of Dan, and judged the people twenty years. Well, the prophecy had its partial fulfilment in Samson, but its complete fulfilment is reserved for Antichrist. For Jeremiah also speaks to this effect: From Dan we are to hear the sound of the swiftness of his horses: the whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing, of the driving of his horses. Jeremiah 8:16 And another prophet says: He shall gather together all his strength, from the east even to the west. They whom he calls, and they whom he calls not, shall go with him. He shall make the sea white with the sails of his ships, and the plain black with the shields of his armaments. And whosoever shall oppose him in war shall fall by the sword. That these things, then, are said of no one else but that tyrant, and shameless one, and adversary of God, we shall show in what follows. Iranaeus: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103530.htm 2. These men, therefore, ought to learn [what really is the state of the case], and go back to the true number of the name, that they be not reckoned among false prophets. But, knowing the sure number declared by Scripture, that is, six hundred sixty and six, let them await, in the first place, the division of the kingdom into ten; then, in the next place, when these kings are reigning, and beginning to set their affairs in order, and advance their kingdom, [let them learn] to acknowledge that he who shall come claiming the kingdom for himself, and shall terrify those men of whom we have been speaking, having a name containing the aforesaid number, is truly the abomination of desolation. This, too, the apostle affirms: When they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction shall come upon them. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 And Jeremiah does not merely point out his sudden coming, but he even indicates the tribe from which he shall come, where he says, We shall hear the voice of his swift horses from Dan; the whole earth shall be moved by the voice of the neighing of his galloping horses: he shall also come and devour the earth, and the fullness thereof, the city also, and they that dwell therein. Jeremiah 8:16 This, too, is the reason that this tribe is not reckoned in the Apocalypse along with those which are saved. I came across this: http://www.unitypublishing.com/prophecy/AntichristbySaints.htm It's a summary of prophecies about the Antichrist by the Early Church Fathers. Skimming over it, I noticed a few mentions of Muslims but I don't know in what context because it didn't read it all. St. Hildegard of Bingen (certainly not a Church Father) also believed that the AC would be of the tribe of Dan. She seems to be saying that the False Prophet will also be from the tribe of Dan who will be a Muslim convert to Catholicism, be elevated to Cardinal and murder the Pope. The whereabouts of the tribe of Dan is unknown. I think they are believed to have gone to Africa (possibly Ethiopia or Sudan) so it's possible that Muslims there are decendants of that tribe. I'm hoping that Carol will excuse me for such a long, off topic post, because St. Hildegard has the Great Ruler and the False Prophet in roughly the same timeframe. St. Hildegard's prophecy is very long, so I'll just quote the first paragraph (the author of the document appears to have inserted some of his/her own interpretations of what St. Hildegard was saying because I doubt very much that the saint specifically mentioned Communism: St. Hildegard 1098 - 1179 ANTICHRIST When the great ruler (the Great Monarch who is to rule Europe after the collapse of Communism) exterminates the Turks almost entirely, one of the remaining Mohammedans will be converted, become a priest bishop and cardinal, and when the new pope is elected (immediately before Antichrist) this cardinal will kill the pope before he is crowned, through jealousy, wishing to be pope himself; then when the other cardinals elect the next pope this cardinal will proclaim himself Anti-pope, and two-thirds of the Christians will go with him. He, as well as Antichrist, are descendants of the tribe of Dan. Somewhere in the middle of the linked documents, there was mention that Judas also came from the tribe of Dan. Hope that helps, and apologies to Carol if I've messed up her thread.
Dolours, No worries. (Same to EarthtoAngels) The two topics are very closely related so it makes sense that the AC would be brought up. I was hoping to stay mainly on the topic of the 6th age of the church, at least as much as possible.
A bit more on the AC....if you don't mind. From recent messages to Luz de Maria: .......... MAN'S MALEVOLENT OPRESSOR, THE ANTICHRIST, WILL NOT PRESENT HIMSELF TO HUMANITY REVEALING HIS IDENTITY; ON THE CONTRARY, HE WILL BE A WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING, WITHIN WHICH THE MOST SINISTER PLANS ARE BEING HATCHED. He will feed the hungry, he will heal the sick, supply man's basic needs, he will perform miracles so that you see him as the saviour of Humanity, and when he presents his true face, he will be the murderer of My Son's People. THE ANTICHRIST WILL PENETRATE THE MINDS OF MEN, CAUSING THEM TO FIGHT AGAINST ONE ANOTHER; HE WILL RAISE PARENTS UP AGAINST CHILDREN AND CHILDREN AGAINST PARENTS - FAMILIES WILL PERSECUTE THEIR OWN MEMBERS.Terror will seize society until it leads to denial of the Faith and blasphemy against God. Those who are followers of the Antichrist will be deprived of thought, for their thinking will be engulfed by the force of the psychic power of the evil oppressor of Humanity. The worst instincts will awaken in men, all disrespecting one another. Scarcity will be the trigger for the weak to profess their faith in the antichrist. That is why I call you to know My Son and to recognize Him so that you will not be deceived by evil. Beloved children of My Immaculate Heart, retain the knowledge of what pertains to the Antichrist, before he takes complete control of Humanity. (1) ..................................................................................................................... Sort of agrees with Soloviev's description of over 100 years ago of the AC "type"! He will be a great humanitarian, environmentalist, all inclusive kind of theologian, etc. And it would seem then that this scarcity need would happen after perhaps destructive wars, natural disasters, famine/disease.
Post #43 from the following thread is related to the Great Monarch http://motheofgod.com/threads/events-preceding-the-warning.9442/page-3#post-139783
Ancient Israel, before the foundation of the Monarchy, functioned as a de facto tribal democracy. Moses explicitly commanded the Israelites to elect their own tribal elders in what was - essentially - an ancient national federation/confederation of tribes under different appointed rulers. "Choose some wise, intelligent and experienced men from each of your tribes, and I will set them over you as your rulers." - Deuteronomy 1:13 Our modern forms of government in the West are parliamentary democracies amounting to a form of "mixed government", not pure democracies in the classical Greek sense - where there were no elected officials or ministers but rather assemblies in which every man voted directly on what was going to happen in the country, without elected representatives or an executive or any separation of powers, making it very open to abuse and the dictatorship of the majority. The French Revolution tried to resurrect this aberrant classical model of democracy - which just ends up being anarchic and oddly enough also pretty totalitarian. Our "Democracies" stem indirectly from Christian teaching and are composed of three distinct entities which share power so as to prevent absolutism: The Legislature, The Executive and the Judiciary. This set-up is a combination of three classical forms of government into an "ideal" (as much as humanely possible) form of government which is partly a democracy (because there is an elected assembly), partly a monarchy (because there is a single sovereign or President) and partly an aristocracy because there are judges. Power is shared amongst these 3 branches of the state to prevent one organ or person from becoming tyrannical and abusing power, because rulers ultimately exist to "serve" like Our Lord Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, God Himself in the flesh, Matthew 20 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; 28 just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Luke 22 25So Jesus declared, “The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors. 26But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves. 27For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table or the one who serves? Is not the one who reclines? But I am among you as the One who serves. Hence why the Pope, the Supreme Pontiff, is officially titled: "Servant of the servants of God". This form of government was clearly enunciated by Saint Thomas Aquinas: "...Accordingly, the best form of government is in a state [republic] or kingdom, wherein one is given the power to preside over all, while under him are others having governing powers. And yet a government of this kind is shared by all, both because all are eligible to govern, and because the rulers are chosen by all. For this is the best form of polity, being partly kingdom, since there is one at the head of all; partly aristocracy, in so far as a number of persons are set in authority; partly democracy, i.e., government by the people, in so far as the rulers can be chosen from the people, and the people have the right to choose their rulers. Such was the form of government established by the divine Law. For Moses and his successors governed the people in such a way that each of them was ruler over all; so that there was a kind of kingdom. Moreover, seventy-two men were chosen, who were elders in virtue, for it is written (Deut. I, 15): I took out of your tribes men wise and honorable, and appointed them rulers; so that there was an element of aristocracy. But it was a democratic government in so far as the rulers were chosen from all the people, for it is written (Exod. XVIII, 21): Provide out of all the people wise men, etc.; and, again, in so far as they were chosen by the people. Hence it is written (Deut. I, 13): Let me have from among you wise men, etc. Consequently, it is evident that the ordering of the rulers was well provided for by the Law....All of the people should take some share in the government for this form of constitution ensures peace among the people, commends itself to all, and is most enduring..." - Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), Doctor of the Church
St. Bonaventure, who is a Doctor of the Church, while justifying his belief in a future "great peace" prior to the Second Coming in his Collations on the Hexaemeron (1273), predicted the future arrival of a Great Ruler whose task it would be to defend the church: "...The seventh time or age, that of quiet, begins with the shout of the angel who "swore through Him who lives forever and ever that there would be no more time; but in the days of the seventh angel the mystery of God will be completed" (Rev. 10:&-7)...It is necessary that One Ruler, a defender of the Church, arise. After him will come the darkness of tribulations...No one knows how long that time of great peace will last since ''when they said 'Peace and security,' then suddenly destruction came upon them" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)..." I am familiar with St. Hildegard's oeuvre as well (she being another Doctor of the Church). Desmond Birch's purported quotations from her writings are simply not accurate. She does refer to the figure of the Great Monarch but not to my knowledge as a "White Flower" emanating from France. I'm not entirely sure where Birch got that from. For some reason, there are a great number of alleged prophecies associated with various medieval figures that are in fact of dubious origin. In her letter to the clergy of Trier, however, after her description of the spiritual renewal of the post-reform period, she writes: "...And then strong men will arise and prophesy and will collect together all their understanding of the Scriptures and all discourses inspired by the Holy Spirit, like a necklace of precious stones. Through these and through other wise ones many seculars will become good and will live in holiness. Indeed this holy zeal will not soon dry up, but will last a long time, because all this will happen on account of the erring time, when there will have been many martyrs to the faith. Indeed, a Warrior [vir praeliator] will do this, who will consider in the beginning and end of his works how far he may resist the erring people. He will constitute prophets at first as the head, wisemen as the eyes, learned ones as the mouth ... that is, by the understanding of these he will explain prophecy. Then the princes will hang up their lutes and tambourines in hardship and sadness, in the same way as the sons of Israel did when they were captive (Psal. 136: lff). After this, all spiritual things will be strengthened without defect ... because the warrior will replenish the wholesomeness of the air and will bring forth the viridity of virtue..." (c. 257A-B) So, as you can see, she ties the future coming of a great spiritual renewal period to the rule of a "Warrior" - the Great Monarch of other private revelations - who will be assisted by "prophets" in changing the hearts and minds of the other temporal rulers. She doesn't tell us his country of origin, though, or refer to him as a White Flower. See also her Liber Divinorum Operum, Vision 10: 17: "...When human beings are purged by these tribulations, they will be disgusted at their quarrelsomeness... Then so many new and unknown arrangements with respect to order and peace will occur that people will be amazed and will talk about them. For such things have not in the past been heard of or known. In this manner peace will be given to them before the Day of Judgement - just as a period of peace came quickly before the first coming of the Son of God. However they will not be able to rejoice fully because of their fear of the judgement that is to come. Instead, they will petition almighty God to grant the fullness of justice in the Catholic faith. Jews, too, will rejoice and say that he whose coming they have denied is already here. That period of peace that preceded the first coming of the incarnate Son of God will be totally and utterly realized in those days. Brave men full of the gift of prophecy will arise so that in this time every seed of justice will come to flower among the sons and daughters of the human species..."
Such is how St. Hildegard describes the Second Pentecost in which the full number of Gentiles enter the Church followed by the conversion of the Jews prior to the advent of Antichrist and the Great Apostasy. Note how she uses the explicit phrase "period of peace" (as opposed to "era" which is practically the same as millenium) but note also how she equates it with the Pax Romana (Roman Peace) instituted by Augustus Caesar in 27 BC, a mere twenty or so years prior to the birth of Jesus and the first coming of the incarnate Son of God. This Roman Peace was essential for the later spreading of the Gospel using the very transcontinental and transnational roads, networks, secure borders and supranational citizenship (St. Paul was a citizen of the Roman Empire) which enabled the First Pentecost to lead to mass conversions over time. Some thirty or so years after Pentecost, in the AD 60s, Nero came on the scene and initiated the first mass persecution of Christians. He is a type and forerunner of Antichrist. This is where I believe the "Great Monarch" figure comes in: he is a sort of Christian, latter day Caesar Augustus. His "Empire" (to call it that using the old-fashioned language, it would obviously have a different name in modernity) would facilitate the spread of the Gospel like the original Roman Empire did. As Ven. Holzhauser prophesied in 1646: "...THE FIFTH EPOCH, which commences with the birth of Protestantism, and wherein we still live, is the state of“TRIBULATION,” (status afflictionis.)... Every one, like the beasts of the field, believes what he pleases, and doth what he wills. The correspondence of this period with the fifth age of the ancient world, from Solomon down to the Babylonian captivity, is extremely striking... Then will the hand of the Almighty produce a marvelous change, according to human notions seemingly impossible. For that STRONG MONARCH, (whose name is to be “the help of God",) will subject all things to himself, and will zealously assist the true Church of Christ. All heresies will be banished into hell... The succeeding period of the church the (status consolationis)—time of “CONSOLATION” begins with the Holy Pope and the Powerful Emperor, and terminates with the birth of Antichrist. (Revelations, 3: 7, 10.) 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... The spread of the church over all countries will take place by the instrumentality of this Strong Monarch, and before the destruction of the world, Christianity will be preached to all nations of the earth; as this is foretold in Matthew 24:4; in Isaiah 2:2; and in Micheas (Micah) 4:2. To this wide diffusion of Christianity allusion is made, when John is obliged to measure the temple of God.(Apocalypse 11:1). A type of this period was the sixth age of the old world, from the deliverance of the Israelites out of the Babylonian Captivity, and the rebuilding of the City and the Temple of Jerusalem, down to the Coming of Christ. As God gladdened His people by the rebuilding of the Temple and the Holy City; as all nations and kingdoms were subjected to the Roman Empire; and Caesar Augustus, the most powerful and excellent Monarch, after vanquishing all his enemies gave peace to the world - so will God pour out upon His Church the most abundant consolations... Many righteous men will flourish, and many learned men will arise. Men will love justice and righteousness, and peace will dwell on the whole earth. For the Omnipotent will bind Satan for many years, until the advent of him who is to come,–the son of perdition..." I would hope folks are seeing the symbiosis between the two ascents of Christ that St. Hildegard theorised. In her Vision Ten: 20 (the 20th part of a single vision) she notes again in respect of this latter day period of peace which mirrors the earlier one prior to Christ's first coming: "...The Princes and everyone else will put God's decrees into proper practice. They will forbid all weapons used to kill people and only tolerate such iron tools as are needed in farming and for the benefit of humanity...In these days a true summer will reign through God's power...Countless heathens will cling to the Christians and will be baptised..." Consider that final criterion - the period of peace with be like "armed soldiers lying on a cliff". Yes, for the threat of violence and shadow of war will still hang over humanity even in the absence - indeed proscription - of actual armed conflict, this fulfilling Christ's prediction of the "rumours of war" that will exist even in the absence of hostilities. This is the "katechonic" dimension of the peace. It is like an armed peace in the sense that the people enjoying it must continually be on their guard, "restraining" the manifestation of Antichrist. Yet we know that they will ultately fail. The katechon will be removed, humanity will become complacent in accepting the apparent permanence of this "peace and security" such that they will bring it to an end by means of their own apostasy from the truth, as St. Hildegard notes: "...These days will be strong and glorious, full of peace and stability. These days will announce the coming of the Day of Judgement... But because people attribute this quiet peacetime and fruitful abundance to themselves and not to God and meet once more with lethargy when it comes to religion, so many tribulations will again follow as have never before seethed within the world. Therefore, such dangers as we have never known will follow this time of rest and comfort... Indeed torment upon torment and injustice upon injustice will accumulate. At any moment murder and death will be planned for no reason at all...All this is an indication of the coming of the Antichrist..."
The end of this coming period of peace reminds one of Tolkien's Minas Tirith, capital of Gondor: View attachment 6548
Yes, good point! But I believe there to be an even more compelling Tolkien parallel. Have you heard of his "Silmarillion"? There is a story included in this volume about the island of "Numenor," the greatest realm of men of which Aragorn and the people of Gondor were descended from. It's rise, coming after a period of tribulation, and fall - as depicted in the artistic renderings above - remind one of these Catholic prophecies (the authentic ones, that is, such as those I've quoted above - beware the forgeries!): http://charltonteaching.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/power-potential-pride-tolkiens-parable.html "...The Numenoreans were the minority of mortal Men who had fought alongside Elves and Valar to overthrow the evil one Morgoth. As a reward and compensation for destruction of their lands; by the Valar [angels] these Men were given peace and plenty, their bodies were enhanced in strength and stature, they were freed from bodily suffering and illness, they were given a beautiful and safe island in which to dwell - out of reach of Middle Earth, their intelligence and skill were enhanced - including the use of magic, they had the friendship and help of the High Elves. Their life span was extended about threefold, so they would have enough time to bring their schemes to fruition. The Numenoreans were thus made super-Men; but they remained Men: mortal Men. And for all their enhancements they had the faults of Men. * What did they do - what did they make of their opportunities? For a while they were satisfied to live well - enjoying the simple things of human life enriched by disinterested learning, art, and religion - and faithfully accepted death when it was due... Then they became scholars, scientists and technologists; almost matching the High Elves in their ingenious devices; and surpassing them in becoming the greatest mariners the world had seen, the greatest military power... For a while. * But soon they got bored, felt constrained, wanted a change, wanted power and wealth and luxury and to dominate, wanted the worship and subservience of lesser men - wanted all this and nothing less than than all this; here, now and forever. Wanted perfect satisfaction of all their desires: Good and evil. Wanted permanent worldly gratification. * They rejected beauty for power, science for magic, rejected truth and freedom for propaganda and totalitarian coercion, disbelieved in the virtue of the one God and his Valar - eventually, in a final rapid spiral-down into the pit, embraced the worship of 'the dark lord' Morgoth and the High Priest status of Sauron, because they believed he could grant them their desires. Other Men of Middle Earth then feared them; they were terrorized, exploited, enslaved, sacrificed. Sensing their own degeneration and decline, ignoring argument, refusing repentance; the Numenoreans built a massive armament and assaulted the Valar by force, invaded the undying lands to take what they wanted - to be immortal gods on earth... And by direct act of The One (Eru, God); the invading army was destroyed, Numenor itself was destroyed, all its people were destroyed (except for a small surviving faithful remnant resident in Middle Earth or swept there in ships) by a cataclysmic remaking of the world. In grasping at gratification of all their desires and forever, they embraced destruction: nihilism... Repentance and renewal was possible for Numenor at any moment up until the last moment - they were given chance after chance. The gods and The One held back their justice until they had no choice but to act. But repentance was always blocked by pride. At the end, the Numenoreans were, as a culture, insane, having embraced insanity by incremental steps, until - I guess, perhaps - the clearing of illusion at the very end. At the very end when utter failure was obvious and imminent, it is likely that death and destruction, annihilation, was actually chosen. Chosen on the same basis that Denethor (one of the last true Numenoreans) described in his despair: "...if doom denies this to me, then I will have naught: neither life diminished, nor love halved, nor honour abated. (...) But in this at least thou shalt not defy my will: to rule my own end." Thus is pride the strongest of sins, thus is damnation chosen at the last." Numenor is practically identical, in essence, to St. Hildegard's prophecies regarding the period of peace prior to the Second Coming. Compare, also, with this element of Holzhauser's prophecy: Many saints and doctors will flourish in the earth. Men will love reason and justice. Peace will reign in all the universe, because the divine power will bind Satan for many years, until the son of perdition will rave anew... "...It is in that age that the relation of the sixth Spirit of the Lord will be known, that is to say the Spirit of Wisdom that God diffuses over all the surfaces of the globes in those times. For men will fear the Lord their God, they will observe the law and serve it with all their heart. The sciences will be multiplied and complete on the earth. The Holy Scriptures will be unanimously understood, without controversy and without the errors of heresies. Men will be enlightened, so much as in the natural sciences and in the celestial sciences..." Just like the fictional Numenoreans, those humans living in the temporal and finite period of peace will advance beyond any other civilization in history in both natural and divine science. Pride cometh before the fall. You can see why the "period of peace" is a necessary precondition for both the Second Pentecost and the coming of the Antichrist.
Yes, excellent point @Vouthon. I read the Silmarillion over 30 years ago, during college. Although details now are distant, your excerpts are a superb summary of both the book and, unfortunately, the prophetic ending of the anticipated period of peace.
Vouthon, There are many prophecies about the Great Monarch being referred to as the White Flower. One of the first sites that appears upon a google search on Great Monarch is the following: http://www.todayscatholicworld.com/great-catholic-monarch.htm Some of the opinions on this site are not favorable towards the church and I have been weary of it but I am curious if all of the prophecies of the white flower that they have listed could be incorrect? Thank you for posting the prophecies of Saint Hildegard I am very interested in what she was told.
Thank you for your post Carol! This person's extracts from purported 'prophecies', as listed on the above webpage, are a mish-mash of the genuine, spurious and somewhat corrupted. For a start, the link to the St. John Bosco one regarding his "dream of two pillars" is authentic. However many of them are laughably inauthentic to one who has actually studied the development of apocalypticism in Catholic thought from late antiquity onwards. For instance: "A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire." (St. Augustine, 5th Century) St. Augustine uttered no such statement and more to the point the guy who runs the website offered no reference from any known book by the most holy doctor. None of the Hildegard quotes are authentic. A few of them seem to be garbled transmissions of bits here and there from her actual writings. But the actual semblance of the meaning behind her words is lost almost entirely. She never spoke of a "White Flower" or Lily in her corpus of letters, Liber Divinorum Operum or Scivias. The author of that website would appear to have cobbled together a series of highly edited statements from repositories of early modern folklore that have little-to-no basis in medieval manuscripts and then interwoven them together with his own ideas. I'd advise that you keep away from that website. He seems like a fruitcake to me, if I'm being honest If you would like a solid, substantive introduction to medieval Catholic prophecy that is scholarly in nature and scrupulously referenced, I would recommend that you read Bernard McGinn's "Visions of the End": https://www.amazon.co.uk/Visions-End-Apocalyptic-Traditions-Civilization-x/dp/0231112572 From millenarists to Antichrist hunters, from the Sibyls to the Hussites, Visions of the End is a monumental compendium spanning the literature of the Christian apocalyptic tradition from the period A.D. 400 to 1500, masterfully selected and complete with a comprehensive introduction and new preface. There are a good number of authentic prophecies McGinn doesn't include and he also studies unorthodox ones (although he indicates them to be such in advance) because this is an academic piece of work as opposed to eschatology but at least all of the ones included are 100% authentic.
Here is another authentic prophecy referring to the so-called "Great Monarch" concept, this time from St. John Bosco in the nineteenth century. It picks up some of the same general themes from the medieval prophetic literature. I have edited out sections of it for the purpose of this post, the entire prophecy can be found here: https://franciscan-archive.org/bosco/opera/bosco.html The First Prophecy God alone is almighty, all-knowing, all-seeing. God has neither past nor future; everything is present to Him, everything at a single point of time. Nothing eludes God. No person, no place is distant from Him. In His infinite mercy and for His glory He alone can unveil the future to man. On the vigil of the Epiphany of this year, 1870,2 all material things in my room disappeared, and I found myself contemplating supernatural matters. It was only a matter of an instant, but I saw a great deal. Although what I witnessed was sensibly present, I find it extremely difficult to communicate it to others intelligibly, as one may realize by what follows. This is the Word of God in human parlance: "War will come from the south,3 peace from the north.4 "The laws of France no longer recognize the Creator. The Creator will reveal Himself by visiting her three times with the scourge of His wrath..... But behold, a great warrior from the north appears,10 a banner in his right hand, his arm bearing this inscription: 'Irresistible is the hand of the Lord.'11 At that moment the Venerable Old Man of Rome went forward to meet him, wielding a flaming torch.12 The banner then grew larger and its blackness became white as snow;13 in its center stood out the name of the Almighty in golden letters.14 "The warrior (Don Carlos and the Pope) and his followers bowed profoundly to the Venerable Old Man and joined hands with him.15..... War, plague, and famine are the scourges to smite human pride and malice. (This summarizes the above-mentioned punishments.) Where are your magnificent villas and palaces, you people of wealth? (We shall see!) They have become the litter of squares and streets!34 "And you priests, why are you not prostrate between the vestibule and the altar, weeping and praying that the scourge may cease?35 Why do you not take up the shield of faith and preach My Word from the rooftops, in the houses, streets, and squares, and even in inaccessible places? Do you not know that this is the terrible two-edged sword which smites My enemies and placates the wrath of God and man? "These things shall inexorably come to pass, all in succession.36 "Things follow too slowly upon each other, but the great Queen of Heaven is at hand; the Lord's power is Hers. Like mist She shall scatter Her enemies.37 She shall vest the Venerable Old Man with all his former garments.38 "There shall yet come a violent hurricane.39 Iniquity is at an end, sin shall cease, and before two full moons shall have shone in the month of flowers,40 the rainbow of peace41 shall appear on the earth. "The great Minister shall see the Bride of his King clothed in glory.42 "Throughout the world a sun so bright shall shine43 as was never seen since the flames of the Cenacle until today, nor shall it be seen again until the end of time." It's relatively easy, actually, to tell a "fake" or "folkloric" prophecy from an authentic one based upon a saint's self-confessed private revelation. Even before one studiously analyses the source material, the quality of the message conveyed is like night and day.
Vouthon, Thank you, that was my gut feeling about that site also, a mish-mash and I should have stuck with it. Currently I am stuck on Alois Irlamier's prophecies. The following link https://cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?topic=34252.0 has this "During the war ... is the great darkness that lasts 72 hours. ... In this event, I see a large cross in the heavens, and an earthquake will be thunder and lightning that frightens all the world and they cry out: "There is a God!" " Now I caution everyone because I do not believe that he is approved by the church nor do I know that he really said what is on the website. Given that, I do believe that even if there was a huge war in the world I don't believe that it would be enough by itself to have the remaining population convert to Catholicism. I could see a huge war possibly having the effect of peace, maybe people would be scared into being peaceful but converting to the RCC only makes sense to me if there is some intervention by God. So let's say that this quote from Alois is true. I believe that he may be speaking of the Gog/Magog war because he states that it is a war in the Middle East. Still if everyone in the world was to see a cross in the sky and possibly shown their sins as many believe will happen with the Illumination of Conscience/Warning would that be enough for people to convert to the RCC? There are many Christian churches in the world and they would be apt to choose one that fits them best. It appears to me that Garabandal is the only thing that makes sense. God performing a miracle in a town which was 100% Roman Catholic at the time that the miracle was prophesized. Can this be possible any other way? Unless maybe we are also given a vision of the Pope or of the Vatican, it could be possible. Now getting back to the Great Monarch, after the War in the middle east and the sign of the cross in the heavens it makes perfect sense that there will be an uproar from some of the non-believers, specifically the radical minded ones. This is where I see the need for a Great Monarch. This also fits with what Alois' has stated. Peace won't be immediate after the Warning, maybe not even immediate after the Miracle but a gradual peace will be obtained through the intervention of the Great Monarch. I would like to hear your opinions, whether in agreement or not.
Thanks again for your post Carol! As you noted yourself, this particular individual has not been canonized or had his writings approved in the ecclesiastical sense. On this basis, I would be inclined to treat what he says with a heavy pinch of salt. Moreover, one would have to accept on the basis of another person's testimony but in the absence of any definite evidence that the predictions he has reputedly made are actually traceable to him. I am inclined, therefore, to consider him to be of dubious authority. In terms of the remainder of your post: I don't know! In all honesty, it is not given to us to know precisely the "times and the seasons". I would advise that we reflect and pray devoutly for the good of the world, the salvation of souls, the pacification of society and the spread of the Gospel, while contemplating in our hearts (if we wish to do so) the prophecies firstly from Sacred Scripture that we must hold to be public revelation and secondly the approved private revelations. I am a mere layman interested in Catholic eschatology. But I don't have any answers as to what is actually going to transpire. I do have my own ideas about what could happen but with regards certainty I feel we can only speak in generalized terms. The specifics are unknown to us. We should just always have our lamps lit and be prepared for what the Almighty has in store, regardless of what that might turn out to be. I do think that a period of peace is probable, as St. Hildegard predicted in her letter to the clergy of Cologne: The distinctive characteristic of the times that follow will be manly fortitude, so that even all the bishops will run to the first dawn of justice with fear and shame and wisdom, and the princes of the world will be in complete accord with one another, for, like a “man of war” (Is. 42:13), they will raise up the banner of concord against the erring times of terrible heresies. God will utterly destroy all these heresies, in His own good time and pleasure... But I don't have any specifics. Why do I think it is probable? Based firstly upon public revelation: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3: "...Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters,[a] you do not need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 When they say, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape!..." To me, this verse indicates that one of the signs prior to the Eschaton is when people say "There is peace and security", before "sudden destruction" comes - that is, the rebellion of Antichrist, who is described in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 as "the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction". Yet as St. Bonaventure cautions, no one knows how long that time of great peace will last since ''when they said 'Peace and security,' then suddenly destruction came upon them" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3), just as we do not know when it will begin, or exactly how. Private revelation has shed further light upon this but we don't have specifics other than some opaque clues, for instance St. John Bosco's cryptic remark that: before two full moons shall have shone in the month of flowers,40 the rainbow of peace41shall appear on the earth This predicts some kind of possible date based upon the "Blue Moon" occurring in the month of May (?). According to this definition the next Blue Moon (two full moons in a single month) will occur on January 31, 2018, which is not in the "month of flowers", meaning that if his prediction is correct then it cannot be next year. And so you could check a calender of the next scientific predictions based upon astronomy and work out possible dates, if one wanted. Doing this, one would discover that the next "Blue Moon" to occur during the "month of flowers" (assuming it is May and not a different month) is May 2026: http://www.moongiant.com/moonphases/May/2026/ If we take the "month of flowers" to be March rather than May, the nearest would alternately be March 2018 followed by March 2037. There are only a finite number of dates in which this particular conjunction of March/May and two full moons can happen in any given 100-year period. In January and March of 1999, we had a situation which only takes place about four times a century and is even rarer: two Blue Moons occurring in the same year. The last time this happened was in January and April of 1961 and it will not happen again until January and March of 2018 and then, after that, in January and March, 2037. It is from this astronomical phenomenon that we derive the phrase, "once in a blue moon" incidentally. Here is a scientifically precise and complete list of all Blue Moons calculated to occur this century in the month of May. They amount to five: http://www.obliquity.com/cgi-bin/bluemoon.cgi May 2026 May 2045 May 2064 May 2072 May 2083 And in March they amount to four: March 2018 March 2037 March 2056 March 2067 But in truth: we don't know the times or the seasons. Nothing eschatologically significant could happen on May 2026 or during this century at all. I use this as a mere example. Why did St. John Bosco think this information to be useful or important to the reader of his prophecy? I don't know but while he still might have got it wrong I'm more inclined to trust St. John Bosco than any unapproved predictions. I do concur, however, with your belief that the "peace" is likely to occur in an incremental fashion.
