Blog to discuss the book "The Apocalypse - Letter by Letter: A Literary Analysis of the Book of Revelation" and current events that point to the events described therein.
16 And it makes all, the small and the great, both the rich and the poor, and the free and the slave, so that they give to themselves a mark upon the hand of them the right one or upon the forehead of them 17 even so that not anyone is able to buy or to sell if he is not one having the mark: the name of the beast or the number of the name of it. 18 Wisdom is thus: Let the one having the mind calculate the number of the beast, for the number is of a man, and the number of him [is] 666. Apoc. 13:16-18
The passage seems to refer to cooperation on the part of the followers of Antichrist. They "give to themselves a mark..." They are willing followers.
Tattoos have become not only popular but even ubiquitous, found even on small children. The linked article suggests that branding is now becoming a replacement fad for tattoos. What's the difference? A tattoo can be removed. A brand is formed by a permanent scar.
Could the time be soon approaching spoken of in Chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation? Is branding another indicator that the tumultuous climax of human history is soon upon us? Stay tuned.
9 And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying: How long, O Lord (holy and true) dost thou not judge and revenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? 11 And white robes were given to every one of them one; and it was said to them, that they should rest for a little time, till their fellow servants, and their brethren, who are to be slain, even as they, should be filled up. Apoc. 6:9, 11
Sunday , October 28, 2007
VATICAN CITY - The Vatican on Sunday staged its largest mass beatification ceremony ever, putting 498 victims of religious persecution before and during Spain's civil war on the path to possible sainthood.
Seventy-one bishops from Spain, a host of Spanish politicians and Spanish pilgrims massed in St. Peter's Square for the ceremony, which came at a particularly delicate time for Spain as it takes an unprecedented look at its past.
Portuguese Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for the Causes of Saints, declared the 498 beatified after reading out their names from the steps of St. Peter's Basilica at the start of the Mass.
Spanish flags waved in the piazza as the crowd broke into applause.
Spain's 1936-69 civil war pitted an elected, leftist government against rightwing forces that rose up under Gen. Francisco Franco, who went on to win and presided over a nearly 40-year dictatorship staunchly supported by the Roman Catholic Church.
Violence against clergy had been simmering since 1931, with leftist forces targeting the institution they saw as a symbol of wealth, repression and inequality. Their attacks against the clergy gave Franco a pretext for launching his rebellion.
The church estimates that nearly 7,000 clergy were killed in Spain from 1931 to 1939. The 498 people beatified on Sunday were killed in 1934, 1936 and 1937. They are comprised of two bishops, 24 priests and 462 members of religious orders, as well as a deacon, a subdeacon, a seminary student and seven lay Catholics.
By declaring the 498 martyrs, the Vatican could proceed with beatification without having to confirm a miracle attributed to the intercession of each of the victims. A miracle is necessary for any of them to be declared a saint.
Some in Spain have questioned the timing of the ceremony, coming three days before Parliament is to pass a Socialist-sponsored law seeking to make symbolic amends to victims of the war and of the Franco dictatorship.
The bill mentions people persecuted for their religious beliefs, but for the most part it is an unprecedented, formal condemnation of the Franco regime.
Critics say the Vatican, which since the late 1980s has beatified nearly 500 other clergy killed in the war, is acting with political motivation and is hitting back at the government by choosing now to beatify nearly another 500 all at once.
The church says the ceremony is being held now because Pope Benedict XVI finished signing the decrees only two months ago.
In the Book of Revelation, Chapter 12, there is a description of a war in heaven where a dragon sweeps a way a third of the stars with it's tail. The starts are in the crown of 12 stars of the woman clothed with the sun.
In Apocalypse - Letter by Letter, the author explains that the woman is the Church and the twelve stars upon her head represent the authority, specifically apostolic authority she wields. It is the College of Cardinals. The Dragon is Satan and his tail is the False Prophet. So the scene depicts the False Prophet leading into apostasy 1/3 of the College of Cardinals. Not enough to impede a papal election of God's chosen successor to Peter.
Now I ask you this...can you imagine Cardinals being led astray by a False leader? In fact by other characteristics describing him, it is likely he will be one of them or at least a Bishop.
Let's look at the recent news and see if anything is stirring.
1. Bishops In Connecticut, USA allow dispensing of abortion pill in Catholic Hospitals against pontifical academic advice and Catholic morals. Another Bishop commenting on the story stated flatly that he would never compromise Catholic faith to comply with civil laws and would sell the hospital properties or shut them down first.
2. Cardinal of St. Louis says that in accordance with canon laws and statements by Pope Benedict XVI he would not offer Communion to persistent and obstinate sinners as with Catholic politicians. Former Cardinal of Washington DC says he would never do such a thing and that counseling is the way to go.
3. Member of clergy at Vatican is caught meeting with homosexuals in liaisons for TV show. Is immediately expelled. 4. Bishop in Africa openly gets married and preaches against Church discipline of celibacy.
5. Catholic Colleges, ostensibly under the control of the local Bishop, openly recruit anti-Catholic speakers, pornographic plays and abortion services. One college even is hosting a family planning conference in Worcester, MA against the direct orders from the local Bishop.
There are many more examples that show that dissent is very open and causing tremendous stress in the hierarchy. Jesus said "let the weeds grow with the wheat lest you damage the god roots" but he didn't say let the weeds overtake the wheat. He also said he would send his angels at the end of times to gather the weeds and throw them into the fire.
In the meantime, does it seem plausible that one of these dissidents could so galvanize so many as to split off or "be cast out" of the Catholic Church? The time may well be coming soon if these guidepost events are being read correctly. Always keep your eyes on the papacy.
Miller Beer has decided that sponsoring events that promote immorality using blasphemous posters is just fine. The sad thing is, in today's decadent society, they get away with it. It remains to be seen if the Catholic League boycott has any effect. Either way, the reflection on our sad state of affairs speaks to rough times ahead. See below:
Miller, the Jesus-Mocking Beer
L. Brent BozellFri Oct 12, 3:00 AM ET
The Miller Lite people have a new ad featuring beer drinkers being instructed by a pro-sports-type commissioner in etiquette for the "More Taste League." But the entity needing a "More Taste" lesson is the Miller Brewing Co. itself.
Last year, Miller infuriated opponents of illegal immigration when the Chicago Tribune reported it paid $30,000 for a convention and newspaper ads publicizing a march of illegal-alien advocates to protest against Speaker Dennis Hastert's congressional office in Batavia, Ill. Consumers launched a national boycott.
Apparently, Miller learned nothing. What the brewing giant has now done is far more offensive. Now, Miller has chosen to associate itself with an event mocking the Last Supper of Jesus, one of the most precious religious occasions for Christians.
The Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco touts itself as the "crowning finale" of the city's Leather Pride Week festivities. It's not something you'd bring the children to, although in San Francisco those standards don't necessarily apply. Media accounts showed that in some cases whole families attended - with the toddlers dressed in dog collars.
David saw a woman so beautiful he had to have her for his own. So he ordered that her husband, one of his generals, to be left exposed in battle and he was killed. The result is that David was cursed by God.cf 2 Kings 11
Fast forward a few thousand years and change venue from Israel to Connecticut. The Connecticut Catholic Conference has reversed course and issued a statement that they will allow Catholic hospitals to dispense the "abortion pill" Plan B in Catholic hospitals.
What is the parallel between the two stories? In both cases, the generals have been left exposed in battle by their leaders. In the latter case, the generals are the fine people like Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President, Human Life International and Judie Brown of American Life League. They have given their all to fight against the culture of death and for the Catholic Church and its teachings.
And now, the CCC has pulled back and left them exposed to the enemy. And who is the "woman" that the CCC had to have? Money and power. Plain and simple, by conforming to the immoral secular law in Connecticut, the Bishops have placed their enterprise over the teachings of the Church of Christ. They could have threatened to shut the system down or sell it off, and even more, to refuse all government interaction as Cardinal O'Connor of New York was reputed to have done. But instead, they opted for pragmatism.
Over the next months and years you can expect their fellow Bishops to follow suit. This is the same collection of despots whose response to clergy sexual abuse was to enact screening for laity and exempt themselves.
But be not afraid. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords will prevail. It had to happen this way unfortunately.
Comment: I've said before that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is more likely to be a common thug than the Antichrist but you have to give him credit for trying...
From American Thinker:
"This will sound alarming. A literal reading of Ahmadi-Nejad's UN address suggests that he is predicting a total war coming soon.
The key is in his invocation and his conclusion. Normal official communications by Muslims start with, "In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful." A'jad followed that formula immediately with:
"Oh God, hasten the arrival of Imam Al-Mahdi and grant him good health and victory and make us his followers and those who attend to his rightfulness." [italics in the official Iranian version]
Sounds like a pretty standard invocation, but it's not. It is a specific call for the Shiite Messiah, who will bring a final holy war, the final jihad, which in the Khomeini cult implies all-out war with the infidels to bring about the Millenarian Age of Paradise on Earth. (For Khomeini, the term "infidels" includes Sunni Muslims, who do not recognize the Mahdi). That is why Khomeini started the nuclear program twenty years ago, and why it has been pushed consistently by all the major cult leaders.
