At La Salette, France, in September of 1846, the Virgin Mary appeared to two children, Maximin Giraud and Melanie Calvat, and gave them an explanation of future world events. This was kept secret for a time, then later revealed to all through publication. The secrets given to the two children are very different. Some parts of the secrets are given in a veiled manner, so that one can only understand with faith and with some time, effort, and thought. The arrogant will not be able to understand or to believe, for Holy Scripture says, God “teaches the humble his way.” (Psalms 25:9).
The Secret of Maximin Giraud
There are several different versions of the secret of Maximin. Most versions have only seven parts; some versions have ten parts. All ten parts are given here. [37] Maximin himself never publicly released an authorized version of his secret. Therefore, the accuracy and authenticity of Maximin's secret is less certain than with Melanie's secret.
After quoting each part, I will give a brief commentary. My commentary comes partly from an understanding of the secret of La Salette and also from an understanding of the words of Holy Scripture concerning this same time period. I have included all ten parts of Maximin's secret in this chapter, even though the source of these words is uncertain, because my understanding of the future makes it clear to me that these words are true.
“1. 'Three fourths of France will lose the faith, and the fourth part, which will retain it, will practice it lukewarmly.' ”
This describes either present-day France (before World War III) or France after the Arab forces have invaded the country, during the occupation.
“2. 'Peace will be given to the world only when men will be converted.' ”
This saying is also true of any time in human history, for true peace comes from God alone. True peace is not merely a cessation of war. The conversion of our hearts to God is necessary to obtain true peace, inside each person and in the world.
After the Day of Repentance, some false prophets will claim that a time of peace has begun. Not so. Very soon after the Day of Repentance, there will be war and more war. Although many will convert on that day, this is not yet the conversion needed to obtain peace.
Even after the war of the Arab nations against Europe is over (WWIII), there will not be peace, because people refuse to repent from their sins. Therefore, there will continue to be much suffering during the occupation of Europe by the Arabs. War and violence and oppression will not end until people are converted.
After World War IV, and after the punishments from God called the first six trumpets of the seventh seal, there will be a time of relative peace and holiness on earth. Many impious, unfaithful, and outright wicked persons will have been killed during the Three Days of Darkness (the sixth trumpet). The remaining persons on earth will be so awestruck by the events of that time period, that very many will convert to the Catholic faith and there will be relative peace for a time.
But a true and lasting peace will not come upon the world until the time of the Millennium, when the whole world will follow Christ Jesus. At that time, after the time of the Church's great suffering, the conversion of the whole world will result in worldwide lasting peace for humanity.
Notice that this part of the secret has a dual meaning. It refers both to the peace at the end of the Forty Years and to the more complete and enduring peace after the destruction of Antichrist (25th century).
“3. 'A protestant nation from the north will convert to the faith and, by means of this nation, the other nations will return to the faith.' ”
Here the Virgin Mary is clearly predicting the unification of all Christians in one holy Catholic Church. One nation returns first, and the others follow. I do not know which Protestant Church will be converted first. (I think it will be the Anglican Church.) This unification of the Protestant Churches and the Orthodox Church with the Catholic Church is part of the conversion of sinners needed to bring about peace. Therefore, the unification of all Christians in one Church will occur before the end of the occupation of Europe by the Arabs.
“4. 'The pope who will come after this one will not be roman.' ”
The Pope referred to here is the next Pope after the conversion of all the Protestant Churches to the Catholic faith. This Pope will not be a Roman Catholic; he will be one of the converts from a Protestant denomination. Thus, after all of the Protestant Churches are fully united in faith and leadership with the Catholic Church, there will be elected a Pope who is not a Roman Catholic.
This Pope will be Catholic, since at that time all of the Protestant Churches will have united with the Catholic Church. But he will not be from the Roman Catholic part of the Catholic Church. He will be from the new parts of the Church which came from the Protestant Churches. At that time, the Church will be reorganized into seven parts, one part from the Latin rite of the Catholic Church, one part from the Eastern Churches, and five parts from the Protestant Churches. The Churches of the East will be united within the Eastern rite of the Catholic Church. All parts of the one Church will be fully united in faith and leadership.
The new parts of the Catholic Church, which came from the Protestant Churches and the Eastern Churches, will retain many aspects of their way of worshipping God and of following Christ. Yet they will accept all of the teachings of the one holy Catholic Church and the authority of the Pope. Many of the leaders from the Protestant Churches will become leaders in the Catholic Church along side leaders from every part of the Church, along side Roman Catholic leaders of the Church.
For example, there are some churches in the United States which have converted from the Anglican faith to the Catholic faith. When an Anglican minister and most of his congregation converts to Catholicism, the minister may become a Catholic priest. Such a minister, if he is married, does not have to separate from his wife to become a Catholic priest. The members of such a church worship God at Holy Mass, yet their worship service retains some of the prayers from the Book of Common Prayers used by Anglicans. This is a foreshadowing of the future of the Church.
Some Catholics will be upset when the Protestant Churches unite with the Catholic Church (Luke 15:25-32). May God correct them. Jesus prayed that all His disciples be one (John 17:21-23). His prayer shall not fail.
“5. 'And when men will convert, God will restore peace to the world.' ”
This saying applies to every age, for war is a punishment from God for sin (as Our Lady said at Fatima). However, it particularly applies to the end of the Forty Years, when the Arab occupation of Europe ends. During the occupation, the Arab forces will oppress and persecute Christians. There will be no end to the suffering until people are converted. True peace can only come through prayer and conversion, not through weapons of war. One sign of conversion will be the unification of all Christians in one, holy Catholic Church. However, this unification will not be the completion of the conversion, but will be one major step in the process of conversion.
Peace will be given to the world, to a degree and only for a limited time, after the Forty Years. This time of limited peace will begin in the year A.D. 2040.
This saying also applies to the end of the nearly seven years of the Church's great suffering (during the 25th century A.D.). The Millennium, the time of great holiness on earth, begins only after a large number of sinners repent and are forgiven by God. Even some of those who have committed very great sins will be converted back to God. Conversion precedes peace.
“6. 'Afterwards this peace will be disturbed by the monster.' ”
After the Forty Years, there will be a time of peace and rebuilding. The Church will have great success in preaching the Gospel. However, following some years of relative peace, people will again slip into sin. Their sins will become worse and worse, generation after generation, until God punishes them again with wars and other sufferings. Then, after many years of sin, war, violence, and turmoil, Antichrist will come to power. The monster is Antichrist. Antichrist is human, but he behaves like a monster. His self, his being, becomes so distorted by sin and evil that he will be more like a monster than a human.
This saying also refers to the time of the Millennium, a time of true peace and true holiness which will last for over a thousand years. At the end of that time, again, the devil will deceive people and stir up revolt against God and the Church (Rev 20:7-8). This revolt will fail completely. The monster also refers to the devil.
“7. 'And the monster will arrive at the end of the nineteenth century or at the latest at the commencement of the twentieth.' ”
The Virgin Mary gives two different centuries when the monster will arrive. Mary knows when the monster arrives; she does not give two dates from lack of certainty about the future. She gives two dates in order to give more meaning to her words.
The monster referred to here is Adolf Hitler, who was a foreshadowing of Antichrist. He was not Antichrist, but was like him in his evil deeds, and in the terror and destruction which he brought. Hitler was a foreshadowing of Antichrist. Hitler was born in the 19th century, but he came to power in the early part of the 20th century. The meaning depends on when you consider him to have arrived, at his birth or when he takes power.
The Virgin Mary is referring to Hitler as a way of explaining what Antichrist will be like. Antichrist is rightly referred to as a monster, for he will be so full of evil intentions, thoughts, and deeds that he can scarcely be considered human. Antichrist will be a human being who has lost his humanity; he will be worse than Hitler.
Antichrist will come to power during the 25th century by the Christian calendar (in A.D. 2430/2431). But he will have been born in the 24th century, during the A.D. 2300's.
8. “ 'In this time the Antichrist will be born of a nun of Hebraic descent, a false virgin, who will have communication with the ancient serpent, with the master of impurity and putrefaction. His father will be a bishop. He will perform false miracles and subsist only on vitiating faith. He will have brethren, who will be children of evil but not incarnate devils like himself. Soon they will be at the head of armies, supported by the legions of hell.' ”
These words are true. They agree thoroughly with what the Virgin Mary said to Melanie (paragraph 26). Either the Virgin Mary gave this very similar paragraph to Maximin also, or these words were derived from Melanie's secret. In either case, the words are true.
Antichrist's parents will be a nun and a bishop. Even when there is much sin in the world, it is the sins of Christians which do the most harm and which are the cause of the most intense sufferings. If all Christians would at least avoid every mortal sin and worship God with a sincere heart, there would be no Antichrist and much less suffering in the world. Antichrist is the offspring of the sins of Christians.
The expression “incarnate devils” is merely a metaphor or figure of speech. God does not permit devils to become incarnate, nor do they have the power to accomplish this. Rather, Antichrist is so full of evil deeds that he seems as if he were a devil incarnate, but his brethren, who are also children of evil, are not so evil as he.
9. “ 'Up, ye children of light, and fight! For behold, the age of ages, the end, the extremity is at hand! The Church passes into darkness. The world will be in a state of consternation, perplexity, and confusion.' ”
These words refer primarily to the time of the reign of Antichrist, the time of the Church's greatest suffering. The Virgin Mary is not asking God's children to fight with weapons of violence, but to fight with prayer and faith and holiness and love. These words are true; they agree with what the Virgin Mary told Melanie (paragraphs 30, 31).
The Church's suffering during the time of the Forty Years (especially the latter part) is a foreshadowing of the Church's suffering during the nearly seven years of the reign of Antichrist. Thus, these words also refer somewhat to the time of the Forty Years (A.D. 2000 to 2039/2040), especially the mid to late 2030's. The first few years of the Forty Years will have less suffering, and the remainder of the Forty Years will have more suffering, and the last seven or so years will have the most suffering.
10. “On Henoch and Elias. 'They will suddenly appear on earth full of the Spirit of God, when the Church becomes darkened and the world in terrible agony. They will convert those of good will and comfort the oppressed Christians. With the help of the Holy Spirit they will have great success against the heresies of Antichrist. But in the end they will be delivered unto death.' ”
These words are true; they echo the words of Holy Scripture. Here, the Virgin Mary is telling us about the two prophets of the book of Revelation (Rev 11:3-13). These words also agree with the secret given to Melanie (paragraphs 31, 32).
Henoch is Enoch of the book of Genesis (Gen 5:18-24). Elias is the prophet Elijah (2 Kings 2:9-12). Since neither of those two holy men seems to have died, the two prophets of Revelation may in fact be Enoch and Elijah. Or, it may be that the two prophets of Revelation resemble Enoch and Elijah in their spirit and power (cf. Luke 1:17). The two prophets are sent because, during times of great suffering, God always gives His Divine help to His children.
The Secret of Melanie Calvat
Melanie's secret is much longer and more detailed than Maximin's secret. As with Maximin's secret, some of the passages have a dual meaning, referring both to the sufferings of the Forty Years (21st century) and to the nearly seven years of the Church's great suffering (25th century).
The Virgin Mary gave Melanie her secret in French. There are a number of different translations of Melanie's secret. The translation given here is a new translation. I have based this new translation on a copy of the original manuscript of the 1904 edition of Le Secret De Melanie, handwritten (in French) by Abbé Combe, Curé of Diou (Allier), published in Lyon, France. He obtained from Melanie a copy of her secret “entirely written by her hand” and which conformed to the text of the secret originally printed in 1879, at Lecce, France. [38]
This 1904 manuscript corrected several typographical errors made by the publisher of that first edition, which was published in 1879 with the Imprimatur of Monseigneur Zola, Bishop of Lecce. Melanie had added her own comments within several of the paragraphs of the secret given to her by the Virgin Mary (paragraphs 12, 16, 23, and 27). The important correction made in the 1904 edition was to clearly distinguish Melanie's comments from the words of the Virgin Mary. In this new translation, Melanie's comments are also kept distinct from the secret itself by being placed in italics.
Abbé Combe corresponded with Melanie directly regarding the 1904 edition. She made a number of additional remarks about particular sentences in the secret. Her responses on several key points are included below.
This new translation is a fairly literal one. A looser translation would have made certain sentences sound better and be more grammatically correct (in English), but would also have relied more on the translator's interpretation of the text. The more literal translation given below sometimes prefers a more awkward choice of words and grammar in order to remain closer to the original wording and phrasing used by the Virgin Mary. I hope that this approach will better preserve the depth, breadth, and multiple levels of meaning which can be found in these words spoken by the Virgin Mary to us all.
Melanie's secret consists of 33 paragraphs. These were not numbered in her original publication of the secret; I have numbered them for the sake of clarity. I have kept the capitalization of words the same as in the 1904 edition, except that I have also capitalized all pronouns referring to God and the first person singular pronoun 'I' (which in French is not usually capitalized). I will quote her secret one or two paragraphs at a time and comment on each paragraph.
1. “Melanie, what I am going to tell you now will not always be secret. You will be allowed to publish it in 1858.”
2. “The priests, ministers of my Son, the priests, by their bad life, by their irreverences and their impiety in celebrating the holy mysteries, by love of money, love of honor and of pleasures, the priests have become cesspools of impurity. Yes, the priests are asking for vengeance, and vengeance is suspended over their heads. Woe to the priests and to persons consecrated to God, who by their infidelities and their bad life are crucifying anew my Son! The sins of persons consecrated to God cry out towards Heaven and call for vengeance, and see how vengeance is at their doors, because there is no longer found anyone to implore mercy and forgiveness for the people; there are no longer generous souls, there is no longer anyone worthy to offer the Victim without blemish to the Eternal on behalf of the world.”
The “Victim without blemish” is Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice on the Cross and whose presence in the Eucharist we should offer to God the Eternal Father to obtain mercy for the world. The Virgin Mary is complaining especially about the lack of persons among those consecrated to God who are worthy to implore mercy for the world through Jesus Christ.
In every age, there are some priests and religious who are unfaithful to Christ. In the present time, there is much sin and lack of faith among priests and religious. Many priests and religious do not even believe all that the Church teaches. Many priests and religious do not believe all that is written in Holy Scripture. Many priests and religious today live in a way which shows, at best, a lukewarm love for God.
However, God is going to change all that. Over the course of the Forty Years (A.D. 2000 to 2039/2040), there will be an increase in holiness among many priests, religious, and bishops. Some unfaithful members of the clergy and the religious life will be removed, will be utterly cast down. The whole Church will make advances in holiness, so that, by the end of the Forty Years, the members of the priesthood and the religious life will, in general, be much holier and more dedicated to God and to the Church than was the case before the Forty Years.
The Virgin Mary's cry against those priests who are unfaithful to Christ is like her Son Jesus' cry against the scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23). Those words of Jesus, and Mary's words at La Salette, apply to unfaithful priests of every generation, but they will be especially true in the 24th century (the 2300's), in the time leading up to the reign of the ten kings. In those years and for a long time, much of the Christian clergy will fit Mary's complaint well. The priests then will be far worse than they were for this generation.
3. “God is going to strike in a manner without example.”
4. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! God is going to exhaust His wrath, and no one will be able to take himself away from so many afflictions combined.”
The Virgin Mary is referring to the afflictions of the seven seals from the book of Revelation. The first six seals and the first six trumpets of the seventh seal all occur during the Forty Years, beginning in 2010 and ending in late 2039 or early 2040. During that time, God will send one affliction after another upon the earth.
The Virgin Mary here uses expressions similar to those found in Revelation. “ 'Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth....' ” (Rev 8:13). The three woes are a warning given to the earth about punishments from God which are part of the events of the seventh seal. The seventh seal is divided into seven trumpets (Rev 8:1-2); the last three trumpets are the three woes. Two of these three woes will occur at the end of the Forty Years, about 2038 to 2039/2040.
However, God's wrath will not be fully exhausted until the third woe (which is the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal); these very last of the punishments await a later time (Rev 15:1). So this warning from the Virgin Mary also applies to that later time, at the end of Antichrist's reign (in the 25th century), when God will finish exhausting His wrath upon the wicked of the world with another series of great sufferings.
5. “The leaders, the guides of the people of God have neglected prayer and penance, and the demon has obscured their intelligence; they have become these wandering stars that the old devil will drag along with his tail to make them perish. God will permit the old serpent to place divisions among rulers, in all societies and in all families; physical and moral pains will be suffered; God will abandon men to themselves, and will send chastisements which will follow one after another for more than thirty-five years.”
The “more than 35 years” of punishments from God refers to the Forty Years. She does not give an exact number of years because there is less punishment in the first decade of the Forty Years. The Virgin Mary says “more than 35 years,” because the first decade of the Forty Years has much less suffering than the next three decades. The afflictions sent by God increase as the Forty Years progresses. In A.D. 2009/2010, the events predicted in the book of Revelation begin, and the afflictions sent by God will begin to worsen, but God will also send special blessings upon the world, to strengthen us for this time of trials. Then the very worst of the sufferings will occur during the 2030's. The great afflictions which will come upon the world will come mainly from mankind itself, under God's Providence. Finally, at the end of those years of sufferings, about 2038 to 2039, there will be severe supernatural punishments which will come more directly from God. Mary describes these supernatural punishments in later passages (see paragraph 20).
The Virgin Mary's cry against those leaders of the Church, who are led astray by the devil, is and will be true of some leaders during the present generation. But her warning will more fully apply to many leaders of the Church during the early 25th century. The Virgin Mary's words agree with the words of Holy Scripture, “His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.” (Rev 12:4). Here Holy Scripture is referring to the damage which the devil will do to the Church during that terrible future time.
6. “Society is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and of the greatest events; one must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink the chalice of the wrath of God.”
These words of the Virgin Mary apply to two periods of time, the Forty Years (A.D. 2000 to 2039/2040) and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist (25th century). Of these two times, the later will be the more severe.
7. “May the Vicar of my Son, the sovereign Pontiff Pius IX, no longer leave Rome after the year 1859; but may he be firm and generous, may he fight with the weapons of faith and love; I will be with him.”
8. “May he be wary of Napoleon; his heart is double, and when he will want to be at the same time Pope and emperor, soon God will withdraw from him: he is this eagle who, wanting always to raise himself up, will fall on the sword which he wanted to use in order to force the peoples to raise him up.”
The Virgin Mary is using Pope Pius IX and Napoleon as examples in order to explain about future popes and future evil leaders of the world. These words refer both to the time of the Forty Years and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist.
During the Forty Years, two evil leaders will lead the Arab nations in war against Europe (Dan 8:3, 4, 20). They will defeat Europe and rule with an iron rod. They will be an instrument of the wrath of God on unfaithful Christians. Of the two leaders, one will have more power than the other. They will be like Napoleon in always reaching for more power. And like Napoleon, they will succeed in war for a time, but later be cast down.
The Virgin Mary says that Napoleon's heart is double. One meaning of this expression is that his heart is duplicitous; he pretends to be good, when in fact he is evil. He is deceitful even within his own heart. Mary also calls him double in reference to the two leaders of the Arab nations during the Forty Years. These two leaders will rule as if they were one leader with a double heart. Napoleon was a foreshadowing of these two leaders.
Napoleon and these two leaders of the Arabs are a dim foreshadowing of Antichrist. The Antichrist will rule along with a false prophet; these two will act as if they were one leader (Rev 13:11-12, 19:20). Thus, the Virgin Mary also uses the word double to refer to Antichrist and the false prophet. Just as Napoleon wanted to be Pope as well as Emperor, so will Antichrist and the false prophet want to be leaders of both the civil and religious powers of the world. But Antichrist will not want to be Pope; he will claim to be a god and will want to be worshipped as if he were a god (2 Thess 2:4).
The Virgin Mary's words to Pope Pius IX are also her words to the Popes who will shepherd the Church during the war and the occupation of Europe. She wants the Popes to be on guard against the two Arab leaders, for they are two-faced and full of deceitfulness.
The two Arab leaders (during the occupation of Europe) will be a foreshadowing of Antichrist and the false prophet. Thus one of these two leaders will have some type of role as a religious leader, and will have temporal authority also. One of these two will be a foreshadowing of Antichrist and the other a foreshadowing of the false prophet (cf. Rev 13:11-12). But the one who rises to power after the other will have the greater power (cf. Dan 8:3; 9:20).
These words of the Virgin Mary also refer to the Popes who will reign over the Church during the time of the ten kings. She talks about Napoleon in order to warn future popes about Antichrist, who will want to be head of a religion as well as Emperor of the world. Antichrist will be two-faced; he will try to give the appearance of being good and holy, but he will do unspeakable evils. He will claim to be the Savior of the world, whereas he is really its ruin. May the Pope of that time be on guard against him.
When Mary asks the Pope not to leave Rome after 1859, one meaning is that the Pope should not move his place of residence and authority from Rome. The Virgin Mary is saying that Rome should remain the center of authority and leadership in the Church. During the Forty Years, Italy will want the Holy See to be relocated to some other country; the Virgin Mary is opposed to this desire. She does not want the Holy See to leave Rome.
The year 1859 also refers to that year in the Islamic calendar, (which would be about A.D. 2425 by the (Gregorian) Christian calendar. This year is several years prior to the beginning of the reign of Antichrist over nearly the whole world. In a particular way, the Virgin Mary is speaking to the Pope of that time, asking him not to leave Rome.
Since it is clear that Antichrist and his followers will eventually attack Rome and the Church (Dan 9:26-27; Rev 17:9, 16, 18), the Pope of that time must expect to suffer much. He will die a martyr. The Virgin Mary is telling the Pope of that time, not only to keep his residence in Rome, but also to remain in Rome himself, that is, not to travel away from Rome for any reason. The other Popes, the ones before that time, may travel around the world, but the Holy See must not be moved out of Rome. When Rome and Vatican City are destroyed (in July of 2013), the Holy See will continue and must return to Rome as soon as possible.
When a new Vatican City is built (in the 2040's) after the end of the Forty Years, it must be built in Rome. The center of authority and leadership in the Church must remain in Rome. Not until the mid 25th century, when the Millennium of peace and holiness begins, will the center of authority in the Church be moved from Rome to Jerusalem.
9. “Italy will be punished for her ambition in wanting to shake off the yoke of the Lord of Lords; also she will be delivered over to war; blood will flow on all sides; the Churches will be closed or desecrated; the priests, the religious will be hunted; they will be made to die, and to die a cruel death. Several will abandon the faith, and the number of priests and religious who will separate themselves from the true religion will be great; Among these persons there will be found even some Bishops.”
The yoke of the Lord (cf. Mt 11:25, 29-30) is the teachings of Jesus and of the Catholic Church. Italy will try to shake off the Lord's yoke by endorsing government and laws which reject the teachings of Christ and His Church. And many will reject the true teachings of the Church by the way they live their lives.
The yoke of the Lord which Italy in particular bears is the presence of the Vatican within Rome and Italy. The people of Italy are honored by having the dwelling place of the Pope and the seat of authority in the Church within their own country. In July of 2013, Rome and Vatican City will be completely destroyed by a nuclear weapon. After that happens, Italy will try to keep the Pope and the Holy See from continuing to dwell in Italy. People will say that it was because the Vatican was in Rome that this destruction came upon their country. They will not want to admit that this was a punishment from God. They will not want to continue to have the Holy See within Rome or Italy. God will punish Italy for this ambition by means of war and many other afflictions.
When the Arab nations invade and fight against the nations of Europe, Italy will suffer greatly. This is God's punishment against the people of Italy who have rejected the teachings of the Church. God also brings the Arabs to punish the other Christian nations for similar reasons.
The Virgin Mary describes a persecution of the Church which will occur in Italy as well as in other countries. Churches will be closed or desecrated by the Arab forces. Many priests and religious will suffer martyrdom for Christ. However, some others will abandon the Faith, rather than suffer with Christ and His followers. Past persecutions of Christians have also seen Christians who chose martyrdom as well as those who abandoned Christ when faced with persecution. In times of great suffering, it is more easily seen who is faithful to God and who is not.
In this future persecution though, there will also be many priests and religious who neither accept martyrdom for Christ nor completely renounce Christianity. Instead, many of these priests and religious, along with a few bishops, will break away from the true religion, the Catholic Faith, to endorse and live either a different religion or a badly altered version of the Christian Faith. They will think they are avoiding great suffering by this means; they may say that they are doing God's will, but they shall be punished all the more by God for turning away from the Truth and the Cross.
This persecution which Mary describes will occur when the Arabs invade Italy during the war between the Arab nations and Europe (WWIII). This war will begin early in the Forty Years. There will also be a more severe persecution of Christians, especially in Europe, during the A.D. 2030's. As often happens also with the words of Holy Scripture, Mary's words may have more than one true and intended meaning.
10. “May the Pope keep himself on guard against the performers of miracles, because the time has come when the most astonishing wonders will take place on the earth and in the air.”
In this discourse, which the Virgin Mary gave to us at La Salette, she often gives her words a dual meaning, so that she at once refers to both the time of the Forty Years and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist. The time of the Forty Years, especially the A.D. 2030's, is a foreshadowing of the years leading up to and including the reign of Antichrist over the world (in the 25th century).
There will be evil persons, false prophets, who will perform apparent miracles which they will claim to be signs from God. Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits.” (Mt 7:16). Persons who reject the teachings of Christ cannot perform true miracles from God. This time of deceitful signs and wonders is the time of the Antichrist (2 Thess 2:9). There may also be similar, but less astounding, false miracles during the Forty Years. [39]
However, during such times, when there are false miracles and deceitful signs (Rev 13:13-14), there will also be true signs and wonders from God (Rev 11:3-6). Not every apparent miracle, sign, or wonder is false. God never abandons His people. God strengthens and comforts the faithful during times of difficulty.
11. “In the year 1864, Lucifer with a great number of demons will be unleashed from hell; they will abolish the faith little by little and even in persons consecrated to God; they will blind them in such a way that barring a particular grace these persons will take on the spirit of these bad angels: several religious houses will lose the faith entirely and will lose many souls.”
The year 1864 refers to the Islamic calendar. When compared to the current Christian (Gregorian) calendar, 1864 would coincide with the year A.D. 2430. Why does the Virgin Mary give the date by the Islamic calendar, not the Christian calendar? When the Arabs invade and occupy Europe, they will force the use of the Islamic calendar, even by Christians. The Arabs will have control over Europe for so long, almost a generation, that many Christians will become accustomed to using the Islamic calendar.
Also, at the end of the Forty Years, the Church may decide to make adjustments to the Christian calendar. By the current calendar, Jesus Christ was born and lived His early years in a time called BC (before Christ). That is why the 2000th anniversary of Jesus' death will actually occur in A.D. 2019, not at a later date. So, if Mary gave the date by the current Christian calendar, the date would not match an adjusted Christian calendar.
Furthermore, during the reign of the ten kings and during Antichrist's reign, Christianity will be rejected by the governments of the world. Christians will be persecuted. The laws will be in opposition to the Christian Faith. So the governments of the ten kings and Antichrist will not allow the use of the Christian calendar. Those governments will prefer the Islamic calendar system. Thus the date which the Virgin Mary gives will have more meaning to the Christians of that time to which the date refers.
The Christian and Jewish calendars are closely connected to religious ideas. The Christian calendar is based on the years since Christ. The Jewish calendar is adjusted with an extra month every two or three years, based on the need to keep the Passover celebration in the spring. But the Islamic calendar is a pure lunar calendar, which is more easily adopted by secular governments for mere secular use.
The year 1864 (A.D. 2430) is the year before Antichrist's reign of nearly seven years over the world. Before that time, the ten kings will rule the earth with an iron rod and with great animosity towards the true Christian Faith. But once Antichrist rises to power, the situation will become even worse for Christians. Those who do evil will have the help of devils. Many Christians will fall away from the Faith, and even many priests and religious will lose their faith in Christ Jesus and His Church. In the year 1864 (A.D. 2430), Antichrist, as the king of the North (Europe) will attack the kingdom of the South (Israel, Middle East, northern Africa), which is the last of the ten kingdoms that still tolerate Christianity. The Antichrist will defeat the Christian king of the South with the help of demons. After that, in A.D. 2430/2431, he will defeat two more kings, the king of the Meridian (the rest of Africa) and the king of the East (includes China). Next, in 1865 (A.D. 2431), he will take control of all the remaining kings and their kingdoms.
In every age there have been some priests and religious who fell away from the Faith. But in that terrible future time, several religious groups and organizations will, on the whole, lose faith in God and in Christ Jesus. Many souls will be harmed because these religious communities will have abandoned their faith in God.
In that time, even whole communities of religious will be lost to sin and malice and heresy. When Christians join together in religious communities they can exercise much influence over one another. They can strengthen one another in faith and in holiness greatly. But they can also influence one another to fall away from Christ, for they are like oxen who share the same yoke and so travel in the same direction. Also, some few members of such groups which fall away from the Church will leave the group rather than abandon Christ and His Church.
12. “Bad books will abound on earth, and the spirits of darkness will spread everywhere a universal slackening in all that concerns the service of God; they will have a very great power over nature: there will be churches to serve these spirits. Some persons will be transported from one place to another by these bad spirits and even some priests, because they will not be guiding themselves by the good spirit of the Gospel, which is a spirit of humility, charity and zeal for the glory of God. The dead and the just will be made to revive.” [That is to say that these dead will take the appearance of just souls who had lived on earth, so as to better mislead men: these so-called resurrected dead, who will be nothing other than the demon under these appearances, will preach another Gospel contrary to the one of the true Christ Jesus, denying the existence of heaven, or they may also be the souls of the damned. All these souls will appear as if united to their bodies.] “There will be in all places extraordinary wonders, because the true faith is dying out and because false light enlightens the world. Woe to the Princes of the Church who will not be occupied except to pile riches upon riches, to safeguard their authority and to dominate with pride.”
This last sentence could also be translated, “Woe to the Princes of the Church who will be busy only with piling riches upon riches, with safeguarding their authority and dominating with pride.” The former translation is more literal than the latter.
Melanie added the comment (in brackets and italics above) about the dead and righteous who will appear to be brought back to life. In a letter to Abbé Combe, the editor of the 1904 edition of Le Secret De Melanie, she states that she made this comment “according to the Vision which I had in the moment that the very Blessed Virgin was speaking of the resurrection of the dead.” [40]
As Melanie explains, the Virgin Mary is clearly not saying that the dead and righteous will be resurrected during that evil time. Rather, it is a deception to lead people astray from the true Gospel of Jesus Christ. For during that perilous time, there will not only be a false Savior, the Antichrist, but also these false resurrections. There will be false miracles and a false Eucharist (the abomination). In many ways, the events of this time will be an evil imitation of events in the life of Jesus the true Christ.
Any means of publication, communication, or entertainment can be used for evil or for good. The phrase “bad books” (or “evil books”) refers to all types of media, including: books, magazines, television shows, videos, movies, electronic games, internet sites, and whatever additional kinds of media are developed in the future. The Virgin Mary is warning us about a time when there will be much evil in all these things.
How much evil there will be on earth for temples to be built for the worship of evil spirits! Even some priests will be led and controlled by the forces of evil on earth. No one can be said to be a servant of God merely because they have power to perform miracles and wonders. It is the virtues of humility, love, meekness, self-denial and self-sacrifice, faith and patient endurance which show that one truly follows Christ. Do not be led astray by miraculous powers.
The success of evil on earth during this dark time will occur because of the lack of true faith on earth. The people will be led astray by false teachings and the bad example of those who live unholy lives. Even many leaders in the Church will be very sinful: seeking power, self-indulgence, and wealth, while abandoning humility, self-denial, and poverty.
Recall that during the time of Jesus' ministry many of the Jewish leaders, scribes, and Pharisees also sought power, honor, and riches. Jesus criticized them at length for these sins (Mt 23). So also, in the time leading up to the reign of Antichrist, many leaders of the Church will become like those scribes and Pharisees. You see then, Jesus was not merely criticizing the religious leaders of His own time, He was speaking about this future time for the Church.
Jesus warned us about false prophets (Mt 7:15-23). He was referring to leaders in the Church who have gone astray. In those days it will be difficult for those faithful servants of God who must endure some evil leaders because these, for a time, will have power within the Church. Jesus' true disciples will know to follow the Shepherd, not the wolves in sheep's clothing.
To those who are under a vow of obedience, I say, your obedience to God requires you to be disobedient to sin. If you are told under obedience to commit a sin, or to assist someone else in committing a sin, you must refuse. Your vow of obedience is first of all obedience to God. Never does the vow of obedience require anyone to be obedient to one who has abandoned Christ and His teachings. The Shepherd does not require the sheep to be obedient to wolves.
13. “The Vicar of my Son will have much to suffer, because for a time the Church will be delivered over to great persecutions: this will be the time of darkness; the Church will have a frightful crisis.”
The Pope today receives much respect around the world, even among those persons and those government leaders who do not believe in Christ Jesus. But in that future time, the Pope will not be respected by governments and peoples. The Pope will suffer much, partly because he himself will be the target of hatred and disrespect, but mostly because he must watch his Savior's Church endure great persecutions.
The Virgin Mary is describing the future persecution of the Church. This refers to the time of the Forty Years as well as to the time of the ten kings and Antichrist. The worst persecution of Christians which the world has yet seen will occur in the A.D. 2030's, but it will not be worldwide. It will occur mainly in the countries invaded and occupied by the Arab nations. A yet more terrible, nearly worldwide, persecution of Christians will occur again during the A.D. 2430's, during the reign of Antichrist.
14. “The holy faith of God being forgotten, each individual will want to be guided by himself and to be superior to his peers. Civil and ecclesiastical powers will be abolished, all order and all justice will be trampled underfoot; one will see only homicides, hatred, jealousy, lying and discord, without love for country, or for family.”
During this great persecution of Christianity, the world will be in great distress and disorder. The Church will no longer have any civil rights, civil powers, or civil protections. Even those secular institutions which would exercise powers of justice and order will be abolished. Many Christians will abandon their faith in Christ and His Church. These crimes and these sufferings, which Mary describes, are a result of the sins of Christians and the sins of those who persecute the Christian Faith. The holy faith of God will have been forgotten in the sense that many who were once Christians will have put aside their faith in God, in Christ, and in the teachings of the Church. The natural result of this abandonment of faith in God is a sharp increase in disorder, crimes, and sins.
Some people today think that a just and orderly society can exist without faith in God. This is not true! Without true faith in Christ, even civil and secular institutions become confused and filled with injustice and disorder. When any society or group of people abandons faith in God, they will suffer from much injustice and many evils will come upon them. This happens because they refuse to worship God, from whom comes all that is just and true and good.
Again, these words apply mainly to the time of the reign of the ten kings and the time of Antichrist's reign in the 25th century. They apply to a lesser extent to the sufferings during the Forty Years, when there will be war and civil disorder, especially in Europe.
15. “The holy Father will suffer much. I will be with him until the end to receive his sacrifice.”
16. “The wicked will make an attempt several times on his life without power to do harm to his days; but neither he, nor his successor [who will not reign long,] will see the triumph of the Church of God.”
What sacrifice is it that the Virgin Mary will receive from the Pope? It is the sacrifice of his martyrdom. Mary is telling us that the Pope will endure much suffering and then give up his life for Christ. Many of the Popes of the early Church also died as martyrs during times of persecution. During any time of persecution, it may be that one Pope after another will suffer death for Christ.
Do not be dismayed to learn that the Popes will suffer much. True servants of God must suffer as Christ suffered. How could it be otherwise? And those Popes who suffer much for God will have the special help of Jesus and Mary.
The wicked will make several unsuccessful attempts on the life of the Pope. The phrase “without power to do harm to his days” could also be translated: “without being able to shorten his life.” They will fail to shorten his reign and his life because it is God who sets the limit on how long each Pope reigns. But when God wills it, then each Pope goes to his death. If any Pope dies a martyr at the hands of the wicked, it is by God's will and Providence.
During the early Church, one Pope after another went to his death as a martyr. So it will be again. During the Forty Years, one Pope after another will be martyred or will have a short reign. Then again during the time of the ten kings (late 24th/early 25th century), to a much greater extent, one Pope after another will suffer martyrdom for the Faith.
The Pope will not see the triumph of the Church of God because the Pope will be killed (about A.D. 2430) just before the Antichrist takes control of nearly the whole world. During the nearly seven years of the Antichrist's reign, there will be no Pope in the Church. Then, when Christ returns, no Pope is then needed. After Christ ascends to Heaven (Second Ascension), then there can be a new Pope elected.
17. “Civil rulers will have all one same design which will be to abolish, and to make disappear all religious principle, in order to make way for materialism, atheism, spiritualism and all kinds of vices.”
These words apply mainly to the reign of the ten kings, which clears the way for the reign of Antichrist. During the 24th century, power in the world will become consolidated in the hands of only a few civil leaders. Each leader will rule over a large area (what would now comprise at least several nations). Most of these leaders will be dictatorial, but even the democratic leaders will have much power as individuals. They will all have the same intention in that they will want to have a kingdom based on material things, without true justice or faith in God. But they will not be united politically. There will be animosity and distrust between these ten leaders. Only in one of the ten kingdoms will Christianity still be tolerated and still have some degree of influence over politics (the kingdom of the South, which includes Israel, the Middle East, and northern Africa). But, at that time, even the kingdom of the South will have much injustice and sinfulness.
Later, during the early 25th century, Antichrist will first take the place of one of these ten kings, the king of the North (Europe). Then he will defeat three more kings. First, he will defeat the king of the South (in A.D. 2430). Then two more kings will be defeated (A.D. 2430/2431). After this the six remaining kings and the peoples of the world will give their allegiance to Antichrist (in A.D. 2431). Then the world will be united under one evil government, headed by Antichrist. It is then that the nearly seven years of the Church's great suffering will begin.
18. “In the year 1865, the abomination will be seen in holy places; in convents, the flowers of the Church will be decayed and the demon will make himself as the king of hearts. May those who are at the head of religious communities keep themselves on guard for persons whom they must receive, because the demon will use of all his malice in order to introduce into religious orders persons devoted to sin, for disorders and the love of carnal pleasures will be spread by all the earth.”
Priests and religious come from the laity. Therefore, if there is much sin among the members of the Church, there will be much sin among the priests and religious of the Church. In that most evil of times, some of those who will seek to join the priesthood or the religious life will be persons who are addicted to sin or who are controlled by sin. They will be false prophets, wolves in sheep's clothing (Mt 7:15-20).
At that time, many priests and religious will become faithless and will commit horrible sins, including the sin of accepting the abomination. These false disciples can be recognized because in their words and in their deeds they reject part or all of the teaching of Christ and His Church.
If any priest or religious has an addiction or strong attachment to sinful behavior, the devil will be able to use such persons to do great harm to the Church, as one uses a handle to move a teapot about. If only all Christians could at least avoid mortal sin, so much good would be done, so much evil would be avoided, neither could be measured by man. If only all priests and all religious would merely believe everything that Jesus Christ teaches through His Church and make an attempt to follow that teaching, many more souls would be saved from hellfire.
The year 1865 in the Islamic calendar coincides with the year A.D. 2431 in the Christian calendar. The abomination of desolation (which is a perverse imitation of the holy Eucharist) spreads at this time for at least two reasons. First, there is no Pope at that time because the people who support the Antichrist have killed him (by the year A.D. 2430) and the government would not allow an election to replace him. Second, the Antichrist has defeated the Christian king of the South (in A.D. 2430), so that the South, which had given Christianity a safe harbor, is now under the power of the Antichrist. Those apostates and heretics who had devised the abomination some time ago can now spread it throughout the world. Those holy Church leaders who oppose the abomination have little power to prevent its spread.
Although the abomination of desolation begins to spread at this time, it was devised at an earlier time. Furthermore, the height of the power of the abomination of desolation coincides with the last half of the Antichrist's reign. The abomination is not devised by the Antichrist, but, during the last half of his reign, he promotes it and uses it to replace the Eucharist and to attempt to destroy the Church from within.
The Calendar
Both the prophet Daniel (Dan 9:27) and Jesus Christ spoke about the abomination; Jesus called it “the desolating sacrilege” (Mt 24:15). The Virgin Mary gives the year of the beginning of the abomination as 1865. The year which the Virgin Mary revealed to us at La Salette is not a mistake; the date has not changed or been delayed. Mary knew the year with certainty and told us. But the year is 1865 according to the Islamic calendar. The year A.D. 2000 in the Christian calendar overlaps the years 1420 and 1421 in the Islamic calendar (used by Muslims). The year 1865 in the Islamic calendar will coincide with the year A.D. 2431 in the Christian (Gregorian) calendar. (The Islamic calendar year is shorter than the Christian calendar year.)
The book of Daniel also places the reign of Antichrist in the 25th century. The “seventy weeks of years” spoken of by Daniel (Dan 9:24) is a period of 490 years (a week of years is 7 years). The seventy weeks of years began in 1948 with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, that is, with the rebuilding of the state of Israel (Dan 9:25). The seventy weeks of years ends with one week of years (about 7 years) during which Antichrist reigns over the world (Dan 9:27). That week of years will begin in A.D. 2431 and end in A.D. 2437. The first year of the 490 years was 1948 and the last year will be 2437, which is 490 years counting inclusively. (After the reign of Antichrist is ended, there will be a series of punishments from God upon the unrepentant, about the years 2438 to 2439.)
Notice that the year for the start of Antichrist's reign based on this passage from the book of Daniel matches exactly the year given by the Virgin Mary at La Salette (once that year is converted from the Islamic to the Christian calendar date). This confirms that A.D. 2431 is the correct year for the start of the reign of Antichrist.
The Abomination
The abomination is a perverse replacement for the Holy Eucharist which will be devised by false Christians. This heresy, this idolatry, this blasphemy against God and Jesus Christ, is not the invention of Antichrist. It is a grievous sacrilege by those who are Christian in name only. These false Christians, who are lost but claim to be found, who are children of evil masquerading as children of God, do something worse than all of the past idolatries of the ancient Israelites. They replace the Holy Eucharist with an evil and perverse substitute, the abomination.
The abomination will be set up in some holy places, in chapels and convents (and monasteries) and in the tabernacles of churches, in place of the True Holy Eucharist. Those who receive the abomination, the false Eucharist, will be giving themselves over to the power of evil. Just as the true Holy Eucharist strengthens faithful Christians to do good, so will the false Eucharist strengthen these false Christians (who have abandoned the teachings and the true Sacraments of the Church) to do evil.
Those who eat the abomination are condemned by God (Isaiah 66:17). It is through the abomination that the devil will attempt to make himself as the king of hearts. Jesus the true Christ is meant to be the King of all hearts, especially through His presence in the Holy Eucharist.
The abomination heralds the coming to power of Antichrist, as is clear from the prophecy of Daniel, “upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate” (Dan 9:27). The abomination is set up just prior to Antichrist taking power over the whole world. After Antichrist comes to power, about halfway through his reign, he uses the abomination and those false Christians who had devised it as a means to injure and attack the true holy Church.
Part of the reason that God allows Antichrist to take power is because many Christians reject the true Holy Eucharist and, later, they accept the abomination in its place. They abandon the true worship of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, fully present in the Holy Eucharist, for the worship of evil through the heresy and idolatry of the abomination. Therefore, God punishes them with what they themselves have chosen, a replacement for Jesus Christ. Just as the Antichrist an evil imitation of Jesus the true Christ, so also is the abomination an evil imitation of the true Holy Eucharist.
To those who truly worship Jesus Christ in their hearts, the abomination is a horror beyond all the other crimes of humanity which precede it. When those who call themselves Christians (but are heretics and traitors to the Faith) devise and set up the abomination, that disgusting and idolatrous thing, in place of the Holy Eucharist, God is greatly offended. It is this immense sin, more than any other sin of humanity, that brings about the reign of terror of Antichrist's kingdom.
To the Christians of the 25th century, I say, watch and pray. When you see the abomination set up in place of the Holy Eucharist, then you will know that the nearly seven years of the Church's great suffering has arrived. Then you will know that the world is about to be given over into the power of Antichrist. Flee to the mountains, abandon the cities and towns, and never cease offering to God your prayers and sufferings. Antichrist's reign will last less than seven years, then God shall set all things right.
19. “France, Italy, Spain and England will be in war; blood will flow in the streets; Frenchman will fight with Frenchman, Italian with Italian; subsequently there will be a general war which will be appalling. For a time, God will no longer be mindful of France or Italy, because the Gospel of Jesus Christ is no longer known. The wicked will deploy all their malice; they will kill themselves, they will massacre themselves mutually even in the houses.”
These words apply to war and civil unrest which will occur during the Forty Years as well as to wars and violence during the time of the ten kings and Antichrist. During the Forty Years, there will be a general war between the Arab nations and Europe (World War III, in the 2010's). There will also be violence and civil disorder within nations.
Centuries later, during the reign of Antichrist, there will be one government over the whole world, and yet there will not be peace of any kind. There will be wars and rebellions constantly, both before and during Antichrist's reign.
The phrase “they will kill themselves” is one possible translation of the original French: “on se tuera.” The verb “se tuer” can mean “to be killed,” but it can also mean “to kill oneself.” Thus, this phrase means both that people will kill one another and that there will be numerous suicides.
The phrase “they will massacre themselves mutually” is a translation of the original French: “on se massacrera mutuellement.” Again, this could mean that people will massacre one another, but the word mutually makes an additional meaning likely-that some of the massacres are mass suicides, committed by mutual agreement. This is a mortal sin against God.
The phrase “even in the houses” could be rendered “even in homes,” since the word “maisons” can mean “houses” or “homes.” But when translated as “houses” an additional meaning is possible. The word “maisons” is also used to refer to religious houses (see paragraph 11). Suicides in homes are not so unusual, but suicides in religious houses would be unusual, which explains the use of the phrase “even in the houses.”
20. “At the first stroke of His lightning sword, the mountains and the whole of nature will tremble with terror, because the disorders and the crimes of men pierce the vault of the heavens. Paris will be burned and Marseilles engulfed; several great cities will be shaken and engulfed by earthquakes: it will be believed that all is lost: only homicides will be seen, only the noise of weapons and blasphemies will be heard. The just will suffer much; their prayers, their penances and their tears will climb even up to heaven and all the people of God will ask for forgiveness and mercy, and will ask for my help and my intercession. Then Jesus Christ by an act of His justice and of His great mercy for the just, will command to His angels that all His enemies be put to death. All at once the persecutors of the Church of Jesus Christ and all men devoted to sin will perish, and the earth will become like a desert. Then peace, the reconciliation of God with men will be made; Jesus Christ will be served, adored and glorified; charity will flower everywhere. The new kings will be the right arm of the holy Church, which will be strong, humble, pious, poor, zealous and imitator of the virtues of Jesus Christ. The Gospel will be preached everywhere and men will make great progress in the faith, because there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ and because men will live in the fear of God.”
These words apply to the end of the Forty Years, during the late A.D. 2030's, when the worst sufferings which the world has yet seen will occur. There will be a terrible, bloody war and severe natural disasters as well as supernatural punishments from God. These events foreshadow the sufferings of the 25th century, which will be even worse.
The Virgin Mary is describing the end of the sufferings of the Forty Years and the beginning of the time of peace and rebuilding which follows it. This description also applies to that time of great afflictions at the end of the Antichrist's reign in the 25th century. In both cases, there is great suffering for God's servants, followed by God's supernatural punishment of the wicked, followed by a time of peace and holiness. In the case of the Forty Years, the sufferings are less severe and the time of peace and holiness is not as glorious or as long-lasting.
During the Forty Years (especially the A.D. 2030's), the just will suffer greatly. The prayers and sufferings of the just will help to bring an end to that time of many horrors. Amazingly, despite all the great evil upon the earth, many great sinners will eventually repent and beg God for forgiveness. The faithful will call upon the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Notice that the Virgin Mary says “all the people of God” will plead for her intercession. This means that the Christians of the world will be united in their belief in the Virgin Mary. At the present time it is not so. Many Protestants do not consider Mary to be an important intercessor between God and humanity. But by that time there will be great unity among Christians, even before the end of the sufferings and the beginning of the years of peace.
The enemies of God will be put to death by Jesus Christ and His angels. This will occur by a supernatural act of God, not by human acts of war or violence, and not by a natural disaster. This is an act of God's mercy as well as His justice. I believe that Mary is here referring to the Three Days of Darkness and the killing of a third of humanity during those three days, as described by the book of Revelation (Rev 9:13-19), which occurs in late A.D. 2039 or early 2040. Also, after the end of Antichrist's reign (in the 25th century A.D.), God will again send out His angels to destroy the wicked (Rev 19:21). The Virgin Mary's words apply to both the Forty Years and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist.
During the holy years which follow the punishment at the end of the Forty Years, the whole world will not yet be Christian. But the Church will have much influence over the civil governments. And all Christians will be united in one holy Church. The Church will heal and grow, and the Gospel will be preached with great success over all the earth. The peoples and nations of the world will be strongly affected by the great punishments, signs, and wonders at the end of the Forty Years. And the increase in holiness of the Church and its members will help to convince the world to listen to the Church. This time of peace and holiness will occur beginning about A.D. 2040, following God's punishment at the end of the Forty Years. It will be a great foreshadowing of the Millennium of peace and holiness which will follow the destruction of Antichrist and his followers (in the 25th century). During those holy years called the Millennium, the whole world shall finally be Christian; peace and holiness shall reign over all the earth for more than a thousand years.
21. “This peace among men will not be long; 25 years of abundant harvests will make them forget that the sins of men are the cause of all the pains which come upon the earth.”
These words refer only to the time of peace and holiness at the end of the Forty Years. When the great monarch's kingdom is divided into four parts, other leaders will take his place who do not have his holiness and his love for God and the Church (Dan 11:4). This event will be one sign of the beginning of the return the world towards sin. The lack of holiness in the leaders is a reflection of the lack of holiness in the people. The monarch's kingdom will be divided, probably before the end of the 25 years. After some years of peace, charity, and holiness, the world will begin to slip back into the old sinful ways. When the 25 years have ended, peace will gradually begin to slip away as sin gradually begins to increase. Among worldly-persons, the peace of this time will be relatively short-lived, but among the servants of God it will last longer. Those who seek God will find true peace in their hearts.
22. “A forerunner of the antichrist with his troops from several nations will fight against the true Christ, the only Savior of the world; he will spill much blood, and will want to annihilate the worship of God in order to make himself be looked upon as a God.”
This will not occur immediately after the 25 years of prosperity. But as the world becomes more and more sinful, leaders will arise here and there, from time to time, who are more and more evil. Eventually, this forerunner or precursor of Antichrist will gain power and attack Christians, the Church, and the Christian faith. This persecution of the Church occurs long after the time of prosperity which follows the Forty Years, and sometime before the reign of the ten kings and Antichrist.
An evil leader cannot rise to power in a holy world nor amid a holy nation. The people that worships God with a sincere heart will be blessed with good leaders. People that ignore God's will in order to chase their own pleasures will have bad leaders. The leaders are the fruits and the people are the tree. Good fruit does not come from a bad tree, nor does bad fruit come from a good tree (cf. Mt 7:16-20).
This forerunner or precursor of Antichrist is a weak image of Antichrist, who will also want to be worshipped as if he were God. This forerunner of Antichrist comes to power sometime between the end of the 25 years of prosperity and the time of the ten kings of Antichrist. Yet, there would still need to be considerable time between this forerunner and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist, as Mary indicates next by saying, “there will be wars until the last war” (paragraph 23). Thus, she makes it clear that there is a significant space of time between those events.
23. “The earth will be struck all kinds of plagues [in addition to pestilence and famine which will be general]; there will be wars until the last war, which will then be made by the ten kings of the antichrist, which kings will have all one same design and will be the only ones who will rule the world. Before these arrive, there will be a type of false peace in the world; one will think only about amusing oneself; the wicked will deliver themselves over to all kinds of sin, but the children of the holy Church, the children of the faith, my true imitators, will grow in the love of God and in the virtues which are dear to me. Happy the humble souls guided by the Holy Spirit! I will fight with them until they arrive at the fullness of the age.”
The phrase “the fullness of the age” has a dual meaning. It refers to humanity reaching the fullness of the epoch, the end of this period of time, when a transition is made from this time of sin to the Millennium of peace and holiness. It also refers to each individual, who reaches the fullness of his years at the end of his life. Abbé Combe, the editor of the 1904 edition, comments: “That is to say, at the eternal crown, for the fullness of the age for the children of God is immortality.” [41]
The Virgin Mary here describes what the earth will be like in the many years between the peace which follows the Forty Years and the reign of the ten kings and Antichrist. There will again be many disasters which come both from nature and from human events. There will be much suffering and numerous wars. However, in the time preceding the arrival of the ten kings, there will be a kind of false peace. This will be a peace as the world measures peace; a time when the earth is relatively free from war. But many people will not have peace in their hearts, because they will have given themselves over to all kinds of sin. This will include sins against one another, so that, even in times and places which are free from war, there will be assaults of all kinds committed against people.
During this time of false peace, there will be true peace among God's children, because these have rejected sin and accepted the Gospel of Christ in their hearts. Even as the world grows more sinful, the Church grows in wisdom and holiness, guided by the Holy Spirit. Yet there will also be an increase in sinfulness among those members and leaders in the Church who are not led by the Holy Spirit, but have given themselves over to the ways of the world. During this false peace, there will be much holiness among those who remain faithful to Christ, but there will also be many who think themselves members or leaders in the Church, but who have abandoned their faith in Christ and His teachings in order to follow the sinful ways of their society and culture.
24. “Nature is asking for vengeance for men, and she shudders with terror in waiting for that which must come upon the earth soiled with crimes.”
25. “Tremble, earth and you who make profession of serving Jesus Christ and who on the inside you adore yourselves, tremble; for God is going to deliver you over to His enemy, because the holy places are in corruption; many convents are no longer houses of God, but the pastures of Asmodeas and his sort.”
The saying that nature will tremble is no mere metaphor. The earth and the mountains will literally shake and tremble. It is God's will that nature react against the sinfulness of humanity.
During the 24th century, there will be much sin among many members and leaders of the Church (Mt 23). So sinful are some of the members of the priesthood and religious life that the Virgin Mary describes them as being outwardly dedicated to God, but inwardly dedicated only to themselves. Persons such as this try to give the appearance that they follow Christ Jesus, but inwardly they worship themselves. It is such great sin among those supposedly dedicated to God that will usher in the time of the ten kings and Antichrist.
Many convents (and monasteries) will cease to be gardens of holiness and will become grazing-grounds for demons, such as Asmodeas (Tobit 3:8). The Virgin Mary here warns priests and religious against the power that such fallen angels have over those who have put aside their faith in God to pursue sinful ways.
The phrase “the holy places are in corruption” refers to those souls consecrated to God who should be temples of the Holy Spirit, but who are desecrated by sin. In that time, there will be much sin and corruption among the leaders of the Church as well as among the laity. Many priests and religious will have immersed themselves in evil desires, thoughts, and deeds.
The phrase “the holy places are in corruption” also refers to those churches, convents, and other holy places where Christians have accepted all kinds of sin and heresy, including those who have even accepted the abomination in place of the Holy Eucharist. These sins, especially the abomination, are the reason that God allows the world to be given over into the hands of His enemy, the Antichrist.
26. “It will be during this time that the antichrist will be born of a Hebrew religious, of a false Virgin who will have communication with the old serpent, the master of impurity; his father will be Bishop; at birth, he will vomit blasphemies, he will have teeth; in a word, this will be the devil incarnate; he will let out frightening cries, he will perform wonders, he will nourish himself only on impurities. He will have brothers who, although they will not be like him demons incarnate, will be children of evil; at 12 years, they will make themselves noticed by their brilliant victories which they will win; soon, they will each be at the head of armies, assisted by the legions of hell.”
Antichrist's father will be Bishop. The Virgin Mary revealed this to us at La Salette. She told this to Melanie (and perhaps also to Maximin). Melanie wrote out the words: “his father will be Bishop,” (in French: “son père sera Evêque”). In one version, she wrote out the French word for bishop, “Evêque.” However, in another version, she used the abbreviation for bishop, “Ev.” Yet, in most publications of the secret, they do not write the word “Bishop.” Instead, they translate the phrase as: “his father will be B.” or “his father will be Bish.” Such translations are misleading and dishonest. A correct and honest translation was used above.
The Virgin Mary's words at La Salette are all true. Much of what she said is unpleasant and, perhaps, not what people hope for or expect to happen. But no one can deny that one of Christ's chosen Twelve Apostles, Judas Iscariot, betrayed Christ. So then, it should not be so hard to believe that, from time to time, one bishop or another might betray Christ in some serious way.
Antichrist's mother will be a nun, one who pretends to be a virgin, but who is thoroughly unchaste. The word “Virgin” is capitalized in this paragraph. Thus, Antichrist's mother will not only be a false virgin, she will be a false Virgin Mary. She will claim that her pregnancy is from God and that this is the sign that her son would be the savior. Just as Antichrist will be an evil imitation of Jesus the true Christ, so will Antichrist's mother be a false and evil imitation of Mary, the true holy Mother of Christ.
Notice that Antichrist would not be born if the members of the priesthood and the religious life were faithful to God. In a sense, it is fitting that his parents will be a nun and a Bishop, for the Antichrist is the offspring of the mortal sins committed by Christians, especially priests and religious.
The Antichrist will be successful in evil endeavors from an early age. He will be evil even at his birth, but will not give himself over entirely to the devil and to the power of evil until he is older. He will become a military leader by the age of 12 years. Recall that Manasseh, a leader of ancient Israel, began to reign when he was only 12 years old (2 Chronicles 33:1). “He did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 33:2). Manasseh was a foreshadowing of Antichrist. I do not know at what age Antichrist will become leader of the whole world. Perhaps this will occur when he is in his thirties, or perhaps he will be older when he takes power.
When the Virgin Mary said that the Antichrist will be the devil incarnate, she did not mean that the devil could become a human being, body and soul. The Virgin Mary is using this expression to indicate how thoroughly the Antichrist will be similar to, and controlled by, the devil. He will be as if he were the devil incarnate.
Melanie also commented on this point, as follows: “It is said that the antichrist will be the devil incarnate, that is to say that he will be entirely possessed. I have seen that the good God does not permit the demon to personally incarnate himself in a human soul and body, but that the demon under a visible form will have familiar relations with the parents of the antichrist, and that they will consecrate him to his service from the first moment of his existence.” [42] She wrote this comment at the end of her handwritten copy of the secret, the one which she gave to Abbé Combe for the 1904 edition of Le Secret De Melanie. (The phrase, “have communication with” is sometimes used as an idiomatic expression to refer to sexual relations.)
The Antichrist will have brothers who are also very evil. This probably does not mean sons of the same parents, but brothers in the more general sense of close relatives or associates.
Holy Scripture says that Jesus had brothers (Mt 12:46; Mark 3:32; Luke 8:19), but the ever-Virgin Mary had no other children. Holy Scripture is using the word “brothers” in the more general sense of close relatives. This usage is also seen in the book of Tobit (Tobit 5:10-13; 6:14; 7:16; 8:4).
Antichrist and his brothers (his peers) win brilliant military victories by the age of twelve. This is a contrasting parallel to Jesus' life, for at the age of twelve Jesus taught and contended with the teachers in the Temple of Jerusalem, “and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:47).
27. “The seasons will be changed, the earth will produce only bad fruits, the stars will lose their regular movements, the moon will reflect only a feeble reddish light; water and fire will give to the globe of the earth convulsive movements and horrible earthquakes which will cause to be engulfed mountains, cities [etc.].”
The editor of the 1904 edition adds the following note concerning this paragraph: “I have from Melanie that this 'etc.' is not made part of the text. The Blessed Virgin showed her other cataclysms without naming them and without pronouncing the word 'etc.' ” [43]
The seasons, the changes in weather from one part of the year to another, are caused by the tilt of the earth, relative to the sun, as the earth spins on its axis. The seasons will be altered at this time, the time of the reign of Antichrist, because the earth will wobble on its axis (Isaiah 24:20). According to astronomers, the earth does wobble on its axis to a small degree. This prophecy of the Virgin Mary (a prophecy also found in Holy Scripture) foretells a much greater disturbance in the spin of the earth.
For thousands of years, when people have looked up at the night sky, they have seen the stars moving in a slow arc across the sky. This movement is due to the fairly even spin of the earth on its axis. When the spin of the earth becomes uneven, the stars will be seen to move in an uneven path across the sky (cf. Luke 21:25).
This change in the spin of the earth will have a profound effect on nature. It will cause drastic changes in weather patterns, so that the seasons will no longer be regular and predictable. The stress on the earth's crust will be tremendous. Earthquakes will reach a magnitude previously unheard of and unimagined (Isaiah 24:1, 19).
This change in the spin of the earth will cause the oceans to shift their boundaries (Luke 21:25). Huge quantities of water will flood whole countries. This flood (and the other changes due to the uneven spin of the earth) will occur near the beginning of the reign of Antichrist, shortly before or at about the time that he takes power over the whole world (Dan 9:26; Rev 12:15-16).
This flood is the very same flood which St. Patrick predicted would cover the land of Ireland from coast to coast to prevent the devil from having power over Ireland. [44] He said that this would happen seven years before the end, meaning at the beginning of the reign of Antichrist, which is seven years before the end of the reign of sin on earth. Most of Ireland is not far above sea level, so it is easy to see how nearly the whole country could be submerged by a change in the oceans.
This flood is predicted by the book of Daniel, “Its end shall come with a flood” (Dan 9:26). The time when the flood occurs is indicated by the following verse, “And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week” (Dan 9:27). This week is a week of years, meaning the nearly seven years of Antichrist's reign over the world (A.D. 2431 to 2437). This flood will precede, and herald the approach of, those nearly seven years of terror on earth. This flood will occur about the year A.D. 2430 (or perhaps a little sooner).
God allows nature to reflect the state of humanity's relationship with God. When people on earth are holy, nature will be put in good order by God's Providence and Power. When sins increase and evil deeds are countless and without bounds, then nature's most destructive forces are unleashed, as a punishment from God. If only people would repent and pray and do works of mercy, then nature itself would rejoice and even the mountains and trees would obey God's servants (Mt 17:20, 21:18-22; Luke 17:6). This is how it shall be during the Millennium of holiness on earth.
28. “Rome will lose the faith and become the seat of the antichrist.”
The Antichrist will not only want to destroy the Church, he will also want to be worshipped as if he were the Savior of the world. He will want to be at the head of his own religion. That is why he will covet Rome, which has long been the seat of the Christian faith. Antichrist will destroy Rome with fire (Rev 17:16). God will allow this because of the many sins of Christians around the world. After Antichrist destroys Rome with fire, he will make it the seat of his authority.
29. “The demons of the air with the antichrist will perform great wonders on the earth and in the air, and men will corrupt themselves more and more. God will have care of His faithful servants and men of good will; the Gospel will be preached everywhere, all peoples and all nations will have knowledge of the truth!”
Even during this time, the darkest, most evil and sinful time on earth, the truth can be found by those who seek it (Mt 7:7-11). The Gospel will be preached even to those who have sinned greatly. And eventually, this preaching of the Gospel will bear fruit in the conversion of sinners. For a time though, it will seem fruitless, just as when Peter and the disciples were fishing after the Resurrection. They fished all night and caught nothing (John 21:3; cf. Luke 5:5). Their efforts appeared useless, but when Jesus arrives they are suddenly successful.
Notice that even in this evil time, God takes care of all people of good will, not only faithful Christians. Yet many people will have thoroughly immersed themselves in sin, so that the demons, the fallen angels, will be allowed to have much power over both nature and human events. The demons would have no power to do harm, if not for the sins of the people.
30. “I address a pressing appeal to the earth: I call upon the true disciples of God living and reigning in the heavens; I call upon the true imitators of Christ made man, the only and true savior of men; I call upon my children, my true devotees, those who have given themselves to me so that I may guide them to my divine Son, those whom I carry so to speak in my arms, those who have lived by my spirit; finally I call upon the Apostles of the last times, the faithful disciples of Jesus Christ who have lived in a contempt for the world and for themselves, in poverty and in humility, in contempt and in silence, in prayer and in mortification, in chastity and in union with God, in suffering and unknown to the world. It is time that they go out and come to enlighten the earth. Go, and show yourselves as my dear children; I am with you and in you, provided that your faith be the light which enlightens you in these days of woe. May your zeal render you like the starving for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ. Fight, children of light, you the small number who can see; for behold the time of times, the end of ends.”
The phrase “May your zeal render you like the starving” means that your zeal should cause you to become like those who are starving for food, except that you would be starving “for the glory and honor of Jesus Christ.”
Yes, despite all of the immense and horrific evils of those years, there shall be a core of true and faithful disciples of Jesus Christ. These few true Christians shall excel in holiness, love of God and neighbor, and prayer. They shall endure great sufferings. They are the Church Crucified with Jesus the true Christ. After a short time they shall be victorious, not through violence and war, but through prayer, love, self-sacrifice, and the great mercy and power of God.
Remember the parable of the mustard seed. The mustard seed is the Church which grows, not merely in size or sheer numbers, but in intensity of faith, love, and hope. The Church's understanding of the Gospel and Her willingness to be more and more like Jesus Christ increases as time passes. So, even in these dark years, these years of great evil on earth, the lamp of faith burns brightly in the Church.
The phrase “the end of ends” does not mean that this time is the end of the world. It only means that this is the end of the reign of sin on earth. After this time, Christ shall reign in the hearts of humanity, and Christ's teaching and His Church will rule the world.
31. “The Church will be eclipsed, the world will be in consternation. But behold Enoch and Elie filled with the Spirit of God; they will preach with the strength of God, and men of good will will believe in God, and many souls will be consoled; they will make great progress by the virtue of the Holy Spirit and will condemn the devilish errors of the antichrist.”
Enoch (or Henoch) and Elie (or Elijah) are the same two prophets spoken of in Maximin's secret, and the same two prophets spoken of by God's Holy Scripture (Rev 11). They will speak the truth without fear or restraint. Many sinners will be converted at their words. They will perform signs and miracles (Rev 11:5-6). After they have prophesied with great power for 1260 days they will be put to death (Rev 11:3.7). But after three and one half days, God will bring them back to life and raise them up to Heaven (Rev 11:11-12).
During this time, the Church must endure many great sufferings because the Church must become like Jesus, the Crucified One. This time of suffering is the Church's Crucifixion. Even though there will be much evil on earth, those who remain faithful will show how great is their love for God and His Only Son, Jesus Christ. During this time, the Church will be like a woman in childbirth: she endures great suffering and then receives a far greater joy (cf. John 16:21).
Abbé Combe, the editor of the 1904 edition, adds the following note after this paragraph. “I have from Melanie that the Church will be eclipsed in this sense, that 1) one will not know which is the true pope; 2) for a time: the holy Sacrifice will cease to be offered in churches, and also in houses: so there will be no more public worship. But she saw that yet the holy Sacrifice would not cease: it would be offered in caves, in tunnels, in barns and in alcoves.” [45]
32. “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth! there will be bloody wars and famines; pestilences and contagious diseases; there will be rains of a dreadful hail of animals, thunders which will shake cities, earthquakes which will engulf countries; voices will be heard in the air, men will beat their head against the walls, they will call upon death, and on another side death will be their torture; blood will flow on all sides. Who will be able to overcome, if God does not shorten the time of the ordeal? By the blood, the tears and the prayers of the just, God will let Himself be swayed, Enoch and Elie will be put to death; pagan Rome will disappear; fire from Heaven will fall and will consume three cities; all the universe will be struck with terror, and many will let themselves be misled because they have not adored the true Christ living among them. It is time; the sun darkens; faith alone will live.”
The phrase “bloody wars” includes wars against the Church. For this is the time revealed by the book of Revelation: “Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.” (Rev 13:7). It is the beast, meaning the Antichrist and his kingdom, which is allowed to make war against the Church and the people of God.
The expression “on another side” (French: “d'un autre côté”) means “on the other hand” or “in another way.” Here death is described as both something that people call upon to end their suffering, and something which is causing people to suffer, since “blood will flow on all sides.” Death “will be their torture” because it is all around them.
The lightning of that time will be so great that the sound it produces, its thunder, will be capable of damaging buildings, people, and entire cities. Lightning produces an explosive effect on the air it travels through. The blast wave from a large enough explosion can do damage to objects nearby. Thus, a severe enough lightning storm could send shock waves through the air which could damage a city by the thunder itself as well as by the lightning.
The Virgin Mary gives the reason that God allows evil to have such power on earth. It is because “they have not adored the true Christ living among them.” Jesus Christ dwells among us in the true Holy Eucharist, which is the full and Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Many Christians of that time will reject the true Holy Eucharist and refuse to believe that the Holy Eucharist is Jesus Christ. They will instead embrace the abomination.
The Virgin Mary echoes what her Divine Son Jesus Christ said: “And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” (Mt 24:22). She is describing the same time of suffering which Jesus Himself described (Mt 24).
After Mary says that God will let Himself be swayed by the prayers of the just, there are more sufferings described. These are now not the sufferings of the Church's Crucifixion; these are the subsequent punishments sent by God against the wicked. Fire from Heaven will destroy three cities. Rome will likely be one of those three cities because it will be at that time the seat of Antichrist. This will occur during the late A.D. 2430's.
A foreshadowing of this destruction of three great cities occurs centuries earlier, during the Forty Years. At that earlier time, during the war of the Arab nations against Europe, three great cities shall be destroyed: Vatican City, Rome, New York City. Rome and Vatican City will be destroyed in July of 2013. New York City will be destroyed at an earlier date, I think in the year 2010.
33. “Behold the time; the abyss opens. Behold the king of kings of darkness. Behold the beast with his subjects, calling himself the savior of the world. He will raise himself up with pride into the air in order to go even up to heaven; he will be smothered by the breath of the holy Archangel Michael. He will fall, and the earth which for three days will be in continual evolutions, will open its bosom full of fire; he will be plunged for ever with all his own into the eternal chasms of hell. Then water and fire will purify the earth and will consume all the works of the pride of men, and all will be renewed: God will be served and glorified.”
Antichrist's life is a perverse imitation of the life of Jesus Christ. He even tries, at the end of his nearly seven years of power over the world, to rise straight up to Heaven in evil imitation of Christ Jesus' Holy Ascension to Heaven. Imagine the extreme arrogance for someone as evil as Antichrist to think to ascend to Heaven like Jesus, the Son of God!
The Archangel Michael in some way suppresses the Antichrist when he tries to ascend to Heaven. This was foretold by the book of Daniel, “and he shall even rise up against the Prince of princes; but, by no human hand, he shall be broken.” (Dan 8:25). Notice that it says he shall be broken, but does not say he will be killed. The Archangel Michael does not kill him, but only stops him and casts him down to the earth. Then the Antichrist and the false prophet who worked with him will be cast alive into hell. “These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone.” (Rev 19:20).
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ occurs at this time, before the Millennium begins. “And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming.” (2 Thess 2:8). The lawless one is Antichrist, who is destroyed by the arrival of Jesus the true Christ. The breath of Jesus' mouth is the power Jesus gives to the Archangel Michael to use against Antichrist.
After this there is a space of time during which the world is cleansed by fire and water (cf. Dan 7:11-12). There is also be a space of time when people repent of their sins and do penance. Then, during the Millennium of peace and holiness, all will serve and glorify God.
After the destruction of the wicked, peace and justice will reign on earth. The Millennium of holiness on earth will begin at that time (the mid 25th century A.D.). Christianity will reign supreme over all the earth. Secular leaders will be faithful to God and to the teaching of the Church. As the years pass, the people of the world will grow in holiness, faith, love, wisdom, understanding, and all virtue. This time of holiness will last well over a thousand years (Rev 20:4). The Judgment of the living and the dead by Jesus Christ will occur sometime after the Millennium, not before it (Rev 20:11-15).
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Mga Lihim sa La Salette
The Secrets of La Salette
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