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Introduction
Is this the correct Understanding of the Secrets? Yes, I'm certain that it is. But let me try to convince you.
First, if you do not believe that Medjugorje and Garabandal are true private revelations, then you most likely do not believe in these secrets at all. All I can say to you, in that case, is that you should listen to your brothers and sisters in Christ who believe these things. They have understood something important. In reading the messages of Medjugorje, I recognize the true attitude of the Gospel, as well as the humility and insight of the Blessed Virgin Mary. I hope that you will too.
The rest of this article is addressed to those persons who believe in Medjugorje and Garabandal, and the secrets spoken of there, but do not believe, or are doubtful, that this is the correct understanding.
The Warning and The Miracle
So you believe that the secrets of Medjugorje are important to the future of the Church and the world, that they are significant events revealed by God to his faithful. And you believe in the Warning described by the visionaries of Garabandal. Can you not then see that the secrets of Medjugorje must include the Warning? For God would not leave such an important event out of his secrets to the devotees of Medjugorje. The messages of Medjugorje reach many more millions of people than those of Garabandal. And so, God, in wanting to reach out to everyone, would not omit the Warning from the secrets of Medjugorje.
The Warning also fits the information about that has been publicly revealed by the visionaries of Medjugorje about the first secret: that it breaks the back of Satan (i.e. substantially reduces his influence). The only way to substantially reduce the influence of fallen angels tempting human persons is for those persons to realize their sins and repent. The visionaries have also said that the first secret would cause an upheaval in one area of the world; this upheaval results from the conflict between those who repent in response to the Warning, and those who refuse to repent. Therefore, the Warning is the same as the first secret of Medjugorje.
You also know that both Medjugorje and Garabandal predict a Permanent Sign, in each of those two places. Is it not therefore already clear that the Miracle of Garabandal is also one of the secrets of Medjugorje? And the visionaries of Medjugorje have openly said that the permanent sign is part of the third secret. So the third secret of Medjugorje is the same as the Miracle of Garabandal.
The second secret of Medjugorje was the last one that I was able to figure out. I was not seeking knowledge of the second secret, but as I was studying Scripture, I realized that the Biblical understanding of the human person is three-fold: soul, spirit, body. The spirit is not a separate soul-like part of the human person, but rather the result of body and soul being united in one living person. The human spirit is the breath of life; it is mind and heart, thought and intention. The Warning (first secret) is a blessing from God on the soul. The Miracle (third secret) promises healings for the body. These are two of the first three secrets of Medjugorje. Therefore, the second secret is a blessing on the spirit. God wants to bless the human race, especially the faithful who respond to His grace, with blessings on the soul, the spirit, and the body, in order to prepare us for the sufferings which follow. Those sufferings are worldwide, therefore, the extent of these blessings is worldwide. So the healings are not only for those present at a site of the permanent sign, but even for many others throughout the world. For the whole world is about to enter into a time of suffering, and must be prepared in soul, spirit, and body by the grace, providence, and miracles of God.
The second secret of Medjugorje is not mentioned at Garabandal. More graces have been given through Medjugorje than through Garabandal. All the secrets of Garabandal are found within the secrets of Medjugorje; but not vise versa. The last seven secrets of Medjugorje are all afflictions for the world, as the visionaries themselves have said or implied in various interviews. The last secret of Garabandal, i.e. the Chastisement, is also an affliction for the world.
Now as to the order of the events, it only makes sense for God to correct and bless the soul first, before the spirit and the body; for the soul is immortal and is most important. God first calls us to repentance in our souls with the Warning, which must be the first secret. This event is very difficult, even for faithful souls, and is devastating for those immersed in sin. So God, being merciful, quickly gives the second secret, which is a blessing that consoles the spirits of those persons who accepted the gift of repentance given in the first secret (the Warning). These two events must occur one right after the next, otherwise, the burden would be too great on those who were shown their sinfulness and who became immersed in sorrow as a result of their repentance.
1. The first secret of Medjugorje is the Warning of Garabandal, and is a blessing on the soul.
2. The second secret of Medjugorje occurs soon afterward, with a blessing to console the spirit.
3. The third secret of Medjugorje is the Miracle of Garabandal, and is a blessing on the body.
Afflictions for the World
The last seven of the ten secrets are all afflictions for the world. In the Book of Revelation, there are seven afflictions for the world described. The last of the ten secrets is very grave and took a long time to explain to the visionaries. The last of the seven afflictions (the Seven Seals) in the Book of Revelation is very grave and takes many more verses to describe than the other Seals. The next to last of the ten secrets is also said to be very grave, but did not take as long to explain to the visionaries of Medjugorje. The next to last of the Seals (the Sixth Seal) is also very grave, but has a shorter description than the Seventh Seal.
Do you really think that God would omit from His own written Word, the Bible, such an important set of events as are referred to by the secrets of Medjugorje? In the very book which God ordained to speak to the Church about its future, how could He not also describe such very grave events, these punishments for the world that have been referred to in private revelation? Certainly, God would and has put these things in Sacred Scripture. The Book of Revelation was written by God for that very purpose. Private revelation is merely an additional and non-essential help to the faithful; it contains nothing essential to salvation which is not also found in Tradition and Scripture.
And yet some foolish persons immerse themselves in the secrets, while rejecting the usefulness of the Book of Revelation and the other prophecies of the Bible. Some eagerly accept whatever any claimed private revelation says about the future, even if it is contrary to Scripture, and yet treat the written Word of God as if it were useless on the same subject. Are the secrets of Medjugorje and Garabandal greater than Scripture? Do they know something that Scripture does not know? My answer is that all these things are already found in Sacred Scripture, and that true private revelation on this subject is merely an additional help for the faithful, because God wanted to do everything good that could be done for the sake of the elect. This is also the reason that God gives any true private revelation at all: as an additional help, but not as the main portion of the Faith.
The Date of the Miracle
At Garabandal, the Virgin Mary said that the Miracle would coincide with the feast day of a holy martyr of the Eucharist. Conchita, knowing the exact date of the Miracle further said: “It will happen between the months of February and July and it will be between the 7th and the 17th, but I will not tell you which year.” On another occasion, she specified that the months do not include February or July, so that the Miracle occurs in either March, April, or May. Now notice that the time of year encompassed by those months includes Good Friday, Easter Sunday, and Ascension Thursday. For such an important event, the greatest miracle that God will have done for the world since the time of Christ, it is fitting that the event be in harmony with the liturgical calendar. In this way, a Miracle associated with a true private revelation leads people closer to the Church, not further away from it.
While looking through Butler's Lives of the Saints, I found the story of Blessed Imelda, an 11 year old girl who died from nothing other than receiving the Eucharist with extreme devotion and reverence and joy. There is no other martyr of the Eucharist like her. Others may have died because of their devotion to the Faith in general, or in some circumstance protecting the Eucharist from sacrilege. But she died solely out of pure devotion to the Sacrament itself.
She is the best fit for the martyr of the Eucharist for the following reasons:
1. She was martyred as an eleven year old girl; the visionaries of Garabandal were all girls of about 11 or 12 years of age at the time of the apparitions.
2. She is perhaps the greatest martyr of the Eucharist, next to the Virgin Mary, having died purely out of devotion to the Sacrament.
3. She died on the vigil of the Feast of the Ascension. God wishes these events of the Warning and the Miracle to coincide with events in the liturgical calendar, so that these events lead people to the Catholic Church and not away from it. (The first three secrets of Medjugorje, and also the much later three days of darkness, are all in harmony with the liturgical calendar.)
4. Her feast day falls within the months and days given by Conchita.
5. The Miracle occurs on a Thursday; she died on the vigil of Ascension Thursday in 1333. In most years her feast does not coincide with Ascension Thursday. But in the year 2010, her feast day again coincides with the Feast of the Ascension.
6. Her death on the vigil of the Feast of the Ascension, as a martyr for the Eucharist, shows us that, even though Christ ascended to Heaven on that day, He still remains with us in the Eucharist. The Miracle also is a sign of the same idea, that Christ is still present among us, though He sits at the right hand of the Father in Heaven.
7. Even though she died on May 12th, her feast day is May 13th, the same day as the first apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima.
8. She died in 1333, a mystical number which indicates the Most Holy Trinity (three yet one).
9. Her feast day, May 13th, again indicating the Trinity as three yet one.
10. Her feast day, May 13th, is one year and 33 days after the Warning.
11. She is the patroness of fervent first Communions, meaning that the Church has given her a special role concerning the Eucharist.
12. According to an article by Gabriel Garnica in the Oct-Dec 2004 issue of Garabandal Magazine, the Pines at Garabandal were planted to commemorate the first communions of children; Blessed Imelda is the patroness of first communions. [#12 added on 11 April 2007]
Her feast day, May 13th, coincides with the Feast of the Ascension in 2010. This day is a fitting day for the Miracle because at His Ascension, Christ blessed the whole world. His Ascension was also His last miracle performed in person, visibly and in the flesh, before He took His seat at the right hand of God. The Miracle is a great blessing on the whole world, and is the last great blessing before the tribulation begins.
May 13th coincides with the Feast of the Ascension only rarely: in 2010, in 2021, and then not until 2083. Now the events of Garabandal include a miraculous healing for a blind man who is in his late seventies now, Joey Lomangino. Also, the events of Medjugorje occur during the lifetime of the visionary Mirjana. So the date of 2083 is not possible, and the date of 2021 is not fitting. Additionally, from my study of Catholic eschatology, the various prophecies of Saints and Blesseds, and the prophecies of the Bible about the future, I determined that the range of dates for these events must be earlier than 2021. Therefore, the date of the Miracle is May 13th of 2010.
I should advise the reader that the exact path my thoughts took to these many various conclusions about future dates and events was long and complex, taking many years of study, so that, even for myself, I could not retrace that path with even the longest of explanations. This article is a short summary of reasons why this understanding is correct, but is not the same as my own thought process used to arrive at this understanding. I am certain that the Providence and Grace of God guided me along that path, for I could never have found it all on my own.
The Date of the Warning
Once the date of the Miracle is determined, how can we determine the date of the Warning? First, all true private revelation, even the private revelation to Saints, is rightly considered fallible by the Church, because errors may have entered by the misunderstanding of the one receiving the private revelation or by a person transmitting it. Although the Warning and the Miracle are said to occur within 12 months of one another, this turns out not to be the case.
The Miracle (the third secret) coincides with the Feast of the Ascension, so it only stands to reason that the Warning (the first secret) and the Day of Consolation (the second secret) also are in harmony with the liturgical calendar. And which liturgical calendar date is most fitting for the Warning as a Day of repentance and sorrow over sin? The day that our Lord died for sin is the most fitting day for a worldwide miraculous call to repentance from sin: Good Friday. No other day is at all fitting for the Day of Repentance.
Scripture indicates this day also in its description of the Warning:
[Zechariah]
{12:10} And I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of prayers. And they will look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will feel sorrow over him, as one would be sorrowful at the death of a firstborn.
{12:11} In that day, there will be a great lamentation in Jerusalem, like the lamentation of Hadadrimmon in the plain of Megiddo.
This verse, and the passage that it is from, are about the Warning. At the Warning, God pours out a spirit of grace, prayerfulness, and sorrow for sin. The day of Good Friday is indicated by the portion of the verse that says: “And they will look upon me, whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son….” These same words are recounted in the Gospel of John's description of Good Friday:
[John]
{19:37} And again, another Scripture says: “They shall look upon him, whom they have pierced.”
And this is what the faithful will experience on the day of the Warning. They will look upon, that is, consider, Christ who was pierced, that is, nailed to a cross, for their sins. They will feel sorrow, not only for their own sins, but also because Christ died for their sins. So the day of Good Friday is the most fitting day for the Warning (the Day of Repentance) because the Warning offers us, not only sorrow for our sins, but also sorrow at the sufferings of Christ for our sins.
Therefore, the Warning occurs, about a year earlier than the Miracle, on Good Friday, April 10th of 2009, which is 12 months and 33 days prior to the Miracle.
The Date of the Second Secret
[Zechariah]
{12:12} And the earth will mourn: families and families separately; the families of the house of David separately, and their women separately;
{12:13} the families of the house of Nathan separately, and their women separately; the families of the house of Levi separately, and their women separately; the families of Shimei separately, and their women separately;
{12:14} all the rest of the families, families and families separately, and their women separately.
Notice the extreme emphasis on separation in the verses following those about the Warning. This refers to the second secret, the Day of Consolation. The separation is that those who accepted the gift of Repentance on the Day of the Warning will receive the benefit of this second secret, namely spiritual consolation, but those who rejected the gift of Repentance are not even offered this gift by God. (This severe separation is like the severe separation between the Israelites and the Egyptians during the time just before the Exodus.)
The first three secrets are blessings on the soul, then on the spirit, then on the body; these three days are fittingly called: the Day of Repentance, the Day of Consolation, and the Day of Healing. The visionaries of Medjugorje have already said that the second secret occurs soon after the first. This is necessary because even very devout persons, but especially those who have many sins on their conscience, will be in a state of sorrow that will be very burdensome to the spirit (i.e. the mind and heart, the intellect and emotions). Since God is merciful, He will not leave them in this state for long. Also, this state is fitting for Good Friday (the day of the Warning), and even for Holy Saturday (the day after the Warning, but a day when people will still be dealing with their realization of their own sinfulness), but it is not fitting for Easter Sunday. Instead, a Divine gift of spiritual consolation is fitting for Easter Sunday Again, in order to keep these events in harmony with the liturgical calendar, so that true private revelation does not separate the faithful from the Church, the second secret coincides with a celebration in the Church: Easter Sunday of that same year, April 12th, 2009.
The Miracle and the Downfall of False Prophets
[Zechariah]
{13:1} In that day, there will be a fountain open to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for the washing of the transgressor and of the defiled woman.
{13:2} And this shall be in that day, says the Lord of hosts: I will disperse the names of the idols from the earth, and they will not be remembered any longer. And I will take away the false prophets and the unclean spirit from the earth.
This first verse describes the Miracle, which is a great source of Healing for the world, like a figurative fountain of healing. The Miracle is also accompanied by conversion, which is also a figurative type of washing of the soul, from unbelief and transgression and defilement.
But now notice that the false prophets are rebuked strongly at about the same time. How does this happen? The Miracle leaves permanent signs at so many sites of true private revelation, of true apparitions and messages from Jesus and Mary, that the faithful can now more easily distinguish between true and false private revelation. The false sites of claimed private revelation will not have permanent signs at all. In this way, God will rebuke the false prophets. The faithful will lose interest in claimed private revelation which does not have a permanent sign to verify its authenticity.
Notice that the verses which describe the Miracle (and its effects) are in the 13th chapter, and the event occurs on May 13th, 2010.
Other Dates pertaining to the Secrets of Medjugorje
The dates of these events are clear to me from my study, over the course of many years, of Catholic eschatology. I cannot recreate that long and complex intellectual journey for you, nor even for myself, but I will mention a few points.
The visionaries of Medjugorje have said that, after the permanent sign of the third secret, there will not be much time left to repent, and that for many persons it will be too late to repent (because they did not repent at the Warning, and because, even if they do repent, it is too late to avoid punishment for past sins). Therefore, it is clear that the fourth secret (World War 3) begins in that same year. There is also this verse from the Psalms:
[Psalm 20]
{20:10} You will make them like an oven of fire, in the time of your presence. The Lord will stir them up with his wrath, and fire will devour them.
Sometimes the chapter and verse numbers of Scripture, providentially, are related to the dates of the events. So the war begins in 2010. There are other reasons why this is the correct time frame for events. It cannot happen earlier because the first three secrets must strengthen the faithful in advance of the afflictions of the remaining secrets. It cannot happen later because there are various events that must occur in sequence at certain times.
The Famine
This great famine is predicted by both the Old and New Testaments:
[Joel]
{1:1} The word of the Lord that came to Joel, the son of Pethuel.
{1:2} Listen to this, elders, and pay close attention, all inhabitants of the land. Did this ever happen in your days or in the days of your fathers?
{1:3} Talk this over with your sons, and your sons with their sons, and their sons with another generation.
{1:4} The locust has eaten what the caterpillar has left, and the beetle has eaten what the locust has left, and the mildew has eaten what the beetle has left.
{1:5} Rouse yourselves, you drunkards, and weep and wail, all you who delight in drinking wine; for it has been cut off from your mouth.
{1:6} For a nation has ascended over my land: strong and without number. His teeth are like the teeth of a lion, and his molars are like that of a lion's young.
{1:7} He has put my vineyard into desolation, and he has pulled off the bark of my fig tree. He has stripped it bare and cast it away; its branches have become white.
{1:8} Lament like a betrothed virgin, wrapped in sackcloth at the loss of the husband of her youth.
{1:9} Sacrifice and libation have perished from the house of the Lord; the priests who are ministers of the Lord have mourned.
{1:10} The region has been depopulated, the soil has mourned. For the wheat has been devastated, the wine has been disfigured, the oil has languished.
{1:11} The farmers have been confounded, the vineyard workers have wailed over the crop and the barley, because the harvest of the field has perished.
{1:12} The vineyard is in ruin, and the fig tree has languished. The pomegranate tree, and the palm tree, and the fruit tree, and all the trees of the field have withered. For joy has been thrown into disorder before the sons of men.
{1:13} Priests, gird yourselves and lament. Ministers of the altars, wail. Enter, ministers of my God, lie in sackcloth. For sacrifice and libation have passed away from the house of your God.
{1:14} Sanctify a fast, call an assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of your God. And cry out to the Lord:
{1:15} “Ah, ah, ah, the day!” For the day of the Lord is near, and it will arrive, like a devastation, before the powerful.
{1:16} Has not your nourishment perished from before your eyes, joy and gladness from the house of our God?
{1:17} The mules have rotted in their own manure, the barns have been demolished, the wine cellars have been destroyed, because the grain has been ruined.
{1:18} Why have the animals groaned, the herds of cattle bellowed? because there is no pasture for them. Yes, and even the flocks of sheep have been lost.
{1:19} To you, O Lord, I will cry out, because fire has devoured the beauty of the wilderness, and the flame has burned all the trees of the countryside.
{1:20} Yes, and even the beasts of the field have gazed up at you, like the dry ground thirsting for rain, because the fountains of waters have dried up, and fire has devoured the beauty of the wilderness.
Notice that the famine is severe, that it is a punishment from God, and that is it associated with the perishing of 'sacrifice and libation.' This refers to a persecution of Catholicism, in which the Mass and the Eucharist are prohibited, specifically, in the occupied territories during and after World War 3. And this is not just any famine; notice the apocalyptic language, referring to the first part of the tribulation:
{2:27} And you will know that I am in the midst of Israel, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other, and my people will not be confounded forever.
{2:28} And after this, it will happen that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy; your elders will dream dreams, and your youths will see visions.
{2:29} Moreover, in those days I will pour out my spirit upon my servants and handmaids.
{2:30} And I will grant wonders in the sky and on earth: blood and fire and the vapor of smoke.
{2:31} The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord shall arrive.
This is the great famine also predicted in the Book of Revelation:
[Revelation]
{6:5} And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying: “Draw near and see.” And behold, a black horse. And he who was sitting upon it was holding a balance in his hand.
{6:6} And I heard something like a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A double measure of wheat for a denarius, and three double measures of barley for a denarius, but do no harm to wine and oil.”
And although the famine is a punishment from God, in His Mercy, He will relent and He will bless His people. Furthermore, in His Justice, He will punish those who have oppressed the people of God:
[Joel]
{3:18} And it will happen, in that day, that the mountains will drip sweetness, and the hills will flow with milk. And the waters will pass through all the rivers of Judah. And a fountain will go forth from the house of the Lord, and it will irrigate the desert of thorns.
{3:19} Egypt will be in desolation, and Edom will be a wilderness destroyed, because of what they have unfairly done to the sons of Judah, and because they have shed innocent blood in their land.
As for the timing of this event, from the Book of Revelation it is clear that the famine, which is the third seal, occurs after the beginning of a War (the first seal) and severe civil disorder (the second seal). The persecution of the Faith which Joel says coincides with the famine is due to the success of the enemies of Christianity in the war. The general timing of this event is therefore the same as that of the war and civil disorder, both of which are a direct result of the Warning and the Miracle, occurring soon afterward.
The dates and timing of the famine are also found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15, which describes first a parable of repentance (signifying the Day of Repentance, i.e. the Warning), and then a famine which coincides with the conversion and return of the Prodigal Son (who represents the Protestant Churches).
[Luke]
{15:13} And after not many days, the younger son, gathering it all together, set out on a long journey to a distant region. And there, he dissipated his substance, living in luxury.
~ In the year 2013, the food resources of the wealthy nations, who are accustomed to living in luxury, will be dissipated. The famine begins this year, rapidly increasing in intensity. Yet it will not be generally acknowledged as a famine until the following year.
{15:14} And after he had consumed it all, a great famine occurred in that region, and he began to be in need.
~ In the year 2014, the famine has become severe and is generally acknowledged. Notice that it is particularly severe 'in that region,' that is, in the region of the nations living in luxury.
{15:15} And he went and attached himself to one of the citizens of that region. And he sent him to his farm, in order to feed the swine.
~ In the year 2015, the prodigal son, while suffering from the famine, is reduced to servitude and he is sent away from his home to work for another, feeding swine. This refers figuratively to the occupation in Europe, where the famine is most severe. The extremists who will win the war and occupy Europe will reduce the Christians there to servitude, to provide food for the occupiers.
{15:16} And he wanted to fill his belly with the scraps that the swine ate. But no one would give it to him.
~ In the year 2016, even though the Christians of Europe are working to provide food for the occupiers, they still do not have enough food for themselves, for they have not yet repented of their rejection of the one holy Catholic Church.
{15:17} And returning to his senses, he said: 'How many hired hands in my father's house have abundant bread, while I perish here in famine!
~ In the year 2017, the Protestants now begin to realize that they lack the true food of the holy Eucharist, which is the “abundant bread” of the Catholic Church. Now in the midst of famine, the Protestants desire true unity, not merely external unity, but a unity based on true communion. The famine begins to decrease.
{15:18} I shall rise up and go to my father, and I will say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.
~ In the year 2018, the Protestants' desire for unity and for the Eucharist will lead to a decision to return to the Catholic Church. The famine decreases substantially.
{15:19} I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me one of your hired hands.'
~ In the year 2019, the Protestants will admit their doctrinal errors and formally request unity with the Catholic Church. This is the last full year of the famine.
{15:20} And rising up, he went to his father. But while he was still at a distance, his father saw him, and he was moved with compassion, and running to him, he fell upon his neck and kissed him.
~ In the year 2020, the Catholic Church will accept this request for unity, despite the remaining distance between Protestants and Catholics in matters of doctrine and discipline. Unification begins sometime during the year 2020; and at the same time, the famine ends.
{15:21} And the son said to him: 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. Now I am not worthy to be called your son.'
~ In the year 2021, unification continues, with the Protestants admitting that they sinned against Heaven will false beliefs and incorrect practices. However, unification does not solve all problems and many Protestants as well as Catholics continue to hold to some false doctrines and disorderly practices.
{15:22} But the father said to his servants: 'Quickly! Bring out the best robe, and clothe him with it. And put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet.
~ In the year 2022, a formerly-Protestant leader will be elected Pope (signified by the best robe, and the ring). He will be a valid and true Pope, but some conservative Roman Catholics will be very dissatisfied with his election.
{15:23} And bring the fatted calf here, and kill it. And let us eat and hold a feast.
~ In the year 2023, there will not only be sufficient food, but an abundance of food: feasting instead of famine or rationing.
World Wars 3 and 4
[Daniel]
{8:3} And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a single ram stood before the marsh, having two high horns, and one was higher than the other and growing higher still.
{8:4} After this, I saw the ram brandishing his horns against the West, and against the North, and against the Meridian, and all the beasts could not withstand him, nor be freed from his hand, and he did according to his own will, and he became great.
{8:5} And I understood, and behold, a he-goat among she-goats came from the West above the face of the entire earth, and he did not touch the ground. Furthermore, the he-goat had a preeminent horn between his eyes.
{8:6} And he went all the way to the ram that had the horns, which I had seen standing before the gate, and he ran towards him in the force of his strength.
{8:7} And when he approached near to the ram, he was enraged against him, and he struck the ram, and broke his two horns, and the ram could not withstand him, and when he had cast him down on the ground, he trampled him, and no one was able to free the ram from his hand.
{8:16} And I heard the voice of a man within Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, make this one understand the vision.”
{8:19} And he said to me, “I will reveal to you what the future things are in the earlier tribulation, for the time has its end.
{8:20} The ram, which you saw to have horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.
{8:21} Furthermore, the he-goat among she-goats is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn, which was between his eyes, is the same one, the first king.
The ram represents the Medes and the Persians. Media is an ancient kingdom located where Iraq is now; Persia is Iran. The war in which the Arab/Muslim nations of the Middle East and northern Africa attack the U.S. and Europe is World War 3. Daniel explains this war by saying that the ram attacks against the West (the U.S.), the North (Europe), and the Meridian (Africa above the equator). The phrase “all the beasts could not withstand him” means that the nations which are attacked will not win the war (beasts are figures for nations at war). Europe and northern Africa will be conquered. The U.S. will not be conquered, but will lose the war.
During World War 4, the he-goat, that is, the great Catholic monarch, attacks from the West (the U.S.) above “the face of the entire earth,” without touching the ground. Notice that Daniel's prophecy over 2,500 years beforehand, anticipated a war which would include aircraft and missiles. In this war, the U.S. and its Allies cannot lose, for “the ram could not withstand him, and when he had cast him down on the ground, he trampled him, and no one was able to free the ram from his hand.” The great Catholic monarch is called “the he-goat among she-goats” because there are many female political leaders during this time; he is called the king of the Greeks because he is both a monarch and a democratically-elected leader. Greece is where democracy began, about a century before the Book of Daniel was written.
The Great Monarch and the Angelic Shepherd
[Daniel]
{9:24} “Seventy weeks of years are concentrated on your people and on your holy city, so that transgression shall be finished, and sin shall reach an end, and iniquity shall be wiped away, and so that everlasting justice shall be brought in, and vision and prophecy shall be fulfilled, and the Saint of saints shall be anointed.
{9:25} Therefore, know and take heed: from the going forth of the word to build up Jerusalem again, until the Christ leader, there will be seven weeks of years, and sixty-two weeks of years; and the wide path will be built again, and the walls, in a time of anguish.
{9:26} And after sixty-two weeks of years, the Christ leader will be slain. And the people who have denied him will not be his. And the people, when their leader arrives, will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will be devastation, and, after the end of the war, the desolation will be set up.
{9:27} But he will confirm a covenant with many for one week of years; and for half of the week of years, victim and sacrifice will nearly cease; but there will be in the temple the abomination of desolation. And the desolation will continue even to the consummation and the end.”
The 70 weeks of years (490 years) begins from “the going forth of the word to build up Jerusalem again,” that is, from the founding of the State of Israel (1948). The 'Christ leader' or 'Anointed leader' or 'Christian leader' is the great Catholic monarch; his beginning (conception) is 7 weeks of years (49 years) from the founding of the State of Israel, placing his conception in 1996.
Now Saint Cataldus of Tarentino wrote: “The Great Monarch will be in war till he is forty years of age … he will assemble great armies and expel tyrants from his empire.” (Prophecy for Today by Edward Connor, p. 30). The birth of the great Catholic monarch is 1997 (or late 1996 at the earliest), making his fortieth year 2037; this is the date of the end of the great monarch's war, in which he frees Europe from the occupation by the Arab/Muslim extremists.
Another prophecy says: “The Great Monarch and the Great Pope [the Angelic Shepherd] will preceded the Antichrist. The nations will be in wars for four years and a great part of the world will be destroyed. All the sects will vanish. The capital of the world will fall. The Pope will go over the sea carrying the sign of redemption [the Seal of the Living God from Revelation chapter 7] on his forehead, and after the victory of the Pope and the Great Monarch peace will reign on earth.” (Werdin d'Otrante, Prophecy for Today by Edward Connor, p. 33). This prophecy refers to the great monarch's war, which is World War 4. This war lasts about 4 years, placing the date of the start of the war about 2033/2034. Also, notice that the Seal of the Living God is given out at about the time of the end of this war (World War 4). This places the events of the Book of Revelation in this same time frame. The earlier events of Revelation, prior to the Seal of the Living God being given out, must occur prior to this time.
The Comet Strike
The trumpets of the seventh seal begin after the event of the sixth seal, which is World War 4 (i.e. the war of the great monarch). That war ends in 2037, so the events of the seventh seal must begin about 2038.
[Revelation 8]
{8:7} And the first Angel sounded the trumpet. And there came hail and fire, mixed with blood; and it was cast down upon the earth. And a third part of the earth was burned, and a third part of the trees was entirely burned up, and all the green plants were burned.
{8:8} And the second Angel sounded the trumpet. And something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was cast down into the sea. And a third part of the sea became like blood.
{8:9} And a third part of the creatures that were living in the sea died. And a third part of the ships were destroyed.
This text from Revelation fits the description of a broken comet falling to earth. Comets are frozen like hail, but they burn with fire as they fall through the atmosphere. The figure of blood indicates the death and destruction caused by this affliction. The passage from Scripture cannot be explained by an asteroid, because asteroids are not frozen like hail, and because they are not known to break apart as easily as comets.
The most likely comet which fits this passage is Comet Tempel 1. NASA's Deep Impact Mission crashed an impactor into Comet Tempel 1 in July of 2005. The Deep Impact Mission determined that the comet was more fragile than expected. In mid November of 2021, the comet passes very close to Mars. This may cause the comet to break apart. Comet Tempel 1 has roughly a 5.5 year orbit around the sun and travels between Mars and Jupiter. In 2038, the comet's orbit is nearest to earth, but it would have to have been deflected from its orbit in order to strike the earth at that time. Such a deflection could perhaps occur due the combination of the presence of the dense impactor within the comet and its close approach to Mars in 2021.
The Three Days of Darkness
[Exodus]
{10:21} Then the Lord said to Moses: “Extend your hand into the sky. And let there be a darkness over the land of Egypt, so dense that they may be able to feel it.”
{10:22} And Moses extended his hand into the sky. And there came horrible darkness in the entire land of Egypt for three days.
{10:23} No one saw his brother, nor moved himself out of the place where he was. But wherever the sons of Israel were living, there was light.
The plagues that God sent upon Egypt through Moses and Aaron were a foreshadowing of the afflictions that God will send upon the world during this present generation. The most fearsome and severe of these afflictions is the three days of darkness. This event is described in the Book of Wisdom.
[Wisdom]
{17:1} For your judgments, O Lord, are great, and your words are indescribable. Therefore, undisciplined souls have wandered astray.
{17:2} For, while they managed to convince the unjust, so as to obtain dominion over the holy nation, they themselves were fettered with chains of darkness and of endless night, enclosed in their houses, fugitives of everlasting providence, lying in ruins.
{17:3} And, while they thought to escape notice in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of oblivion, being horribly afraid, and having been disturbed with great astonishment.
{17:4} For neither did the cave which enclosed them preserve them from fear, because descending noises disturbed them, and the sorrowful persons appearing to them intensified their fear.
{17:5} And, indeed, even fire had no strength to provide them light, nor could the clear flames of the stars illuminate that horrible night.
{17:6} Yet there appeared to them a sudden fire, filled with fear; and, having been struck with the fear of that face which is unseen, they considered those things which they did see to be worse,
{17:7} and, having been ridiculed, the illusions were removed from their arts along with their contemptuous rebuke of glorious wisdom.
{17:8} Indeed, those who promised to drive away fears and disturbances from a languishing soul, though they were filled with derision, were themselves languishing in fear.
{17:9} And, even if nothing unnatural disturbed them, yet being agitated by the passing of animals and the hissing of snakes, they died of fear, denying what they themselves saw even in the air, which no one thinks to be able to escape.
{17:10} For, while there may be apprehension with wickedness, it gives testimony to condemnation, for a troubled conscience always forecasts harshness.
{17:11} For fear is nothing else but unfaithfulness to thinking helpful things.
{17:12} And, while expectation is driven from within, the cause of this is supposing that one is great in knowledge, and as a result, conflict excels.
{17:13} Yet those who were truly powerless that night, being overcome by both the vilest and the deepest hell, were sleeping the same sleep,
{17:14} sometimes stirred up by the fear of unnatural things, other times sinking down in disgrace of soul, for a sudden and unexpected fear overcame them.
{17:15} Then, if any among them had fallen away, he was kept in a prison without bars which had been left open.
{17:16} For if a farmer, or a shepherd, or a worker in a field of labor were suddenly overcome, he endured an inescapable necessity.
{17:17} For they were all bound together with one chain of darkness. Or if there were a whistling wind, or the sweet sound of birds among the thick tree branches, or the force of water rushing excessively,
{17:18} or the strong noise of rocks crashing down, or the scattering of playful animals having been seen, or the strong voice of bellowing beasts, or the resounding of the highest mountain echo, these things made them sink down because of fear.
{17:19} For the whole world was enlightened with a clear light, and none were being hindered in their labors.
{17:20} But then, the heavy night was placed over the sun for them, an image of that darkness which was about to overcome them. Yet they were more grievous to themselves than was the darkness.
The event of the three days of darkness is further described in the Book of Revelation. However, the description in Revelation emphasizes the destructive aspects of the event, over the darkness itself. For the three days of darkness is not merely darkness, but is a devastating supernatural affliction that kills one third of the human race on earth at that time.
[Revelation]
{9:13} And the sixth Angel sounded the trumpet. And I heard a lone voice from the four horns of the golden altar, which is before the eyes of God,
{9:14} saying to the sixth Angel who had the trumpet: “Release the four Angels who were bound at the great river Euphrates.”
{9:15} And the four Angels were released, who had been prepared for that hour, and day, and month, and year, in order to kill one third part of men.
{9:16} And the number of the army of horsemen was two hundred million. For I heard their number.
{9:17} And I also saw the horses in the vision. And those who were sitting upon them had breastplates of fire and hyacinth and sulphur. And the heads of the horses were like the heads of lions. And from their mouths proceeded fire and smoke and sulphur.
{9:18} And one third part of men were slain by these three afflictions: by the fire and by the smoke and by the sulphur, which proceeded from their mouths.
{9:19} For the power of these horses is in their mouths and in their tails. For their tails resemble serpents, having heads; and it is with these that they cause harm.
At first glance, this passage may not seem to describe three days of darkness. But look closer: “And one third part of men were slain by these three afflictions.” It is well-known from reliable private revelations that the three days of darkness will kill a large percentage of the human race. Also, the phrase 'three afflictions' can be understood as referring figuratively to three days of afflictions. It is also well-known that after the three days of darkness, there will be peace and a respite from severe afflictions. In Revelation, this respite is represented by the passage about the seven thunders, which interrupts the explanation of the sixth and seventh trumpets of the seventh seal. Therefore, this event of the sixth trumpet is not immediately followed by the afflictions of the seventh trumpet, but is followed by a time of peace and rebuilding, represented by the first thunder, which is the kingdom of the great monarch.
The Seven Thunders
The seven thunders are seven kingdoms, all explained in Daniel chapter seven, as follows:
1. the beast that is given the heart of a man, i.e. the great monarch's kingdom (21st century), Daniel 7:4,
2. the beast like a bear, representing a kingdom based in Russia (22nd century), Daniel 7:5,
3. the beast like a leopard with wings, representing a kingdom with four major divisions, in Africa (but not the northern part), in India, in China, and in one other adjoining area of the world (23rd century), Daniel 7:6,
4. the kingdom of the ten kings (24th century), Daniel 7:7,
5. the kingdom of the Antichrist (2430/2431 to 2437), Daniel 7:8,
6. the perverse spiritual kingdom of the false prophetess (2433 to 2437); she is the “mouth speaking unnatural things” in Daniel 7:8.
7. Then there is the Kingdom which will not be corrupted, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and of His Saints, which reaches its fullness on earth when Jesus Christ returns with Mary (in the year 2437 A.D.), Daniel 7:14.
The Second Part of the Tribulation
This last point is very important to a proper understanding of the future, and to avoid certain false teachings promoted by false private revelation. The tribulation described in the Book of Revelation is divided into two parts:
1. the first part of the tribulation, from 2009/2010 to early 2040 A.D.
2. the second part of the tribulation, including the reign of the Antichrist (2430/2431 to 2437), the Return of Jesus and Mary (2437 A.D.), and the afflictions of the seventh trumpet of the seventh seal (called the seven bowls of God's wrath), which are visited only on the wicked and only after the Return of Jesus Christ.
Any claimed private revelation which says that the Antichrist and/or the false prophet are in the world today is a false private revelation. For the Antichrist cannot arrive until all the prior predictions of Sacred Scripture have been fulfilled. The Bible can never be false in anything that it asserts as true. Also, the various kingdoms which will rise and fall between the first and second parts of the tribulation are plainly predicted by various passages in the Old and New Testaments of infallible Sacred Scripture. Whoever believes a claimed private revelation saying that the Antichrist is in the world today is rejecting belief in the teachings of Sacred Scripture.
Although many misguided persons, during the first part of the tribulation, will claim that it is the end of the world, such is not the case. All those who have faith in the teachings of the Bible can be assured that it is not the end. Although the afflictions of the first part of the tribulation are very severe, and although many faithless persons will lose hope during that time, in truth there is hope. And there will be a respite from these afflictions. For the end is not so soon.
[Matthew]
{24:6} For you will hear of battles and rumors of battles. Take care not to be disturbed. For these things must be, but the end is not so soon.
{24:7} For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be pestilences, and famines, and earthquakes in places.
{24:8} But all these things are just the beginning of the sorrows.
Take heart, little children, and be careful not to be deceived. For the words of Jesus Christ are certainly true, no matter what anyone else may say, that these things are just the beginning of the sorrows and that the end is not so soon.
Grace and peace to all those who place their faith and trust in Christ Jesus.
Article of Ron Conte Jr.
