Posted on 09/05/2005 7:05:25 AM PDT by NYer
TORONTO, September 2, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In his thought-provoking editorial in September's Catholic Insight magazine, editor Rev. Alphonse de Valk puts the same-sex "marriage" onslaught into a perspective that perhaps many have been thinking but have not voiced. Writing about the recent enactment of gay "marriage" legislation in Canada, Fr. de Valk writes, "But let us not be despondent. Instead, let us set this latest defeat in its proper context so that at least we may understand what we are facing."
The editorial quotes the Roman Catechism (Council of Trent, 1546) as teaching that "the general judgment will be preceded by these three principal signs: the preaching of the Gospel throughout the world, a falling away from the faith, and the coming of the Antichrist." It notes that the "first has been fulfilled". Indeed on February 21, 2001, in an address which received scant attention, Pope John Paul II, speaking of the "signs of the times," announced that the Gospel was "spread now in all corners of the planet."
With regard to a falling away from the faith, Rev. de Valk says, "It is now recognized within the Catholic Church that the loss of faith among the peoples who once constituted Christendom is well advanced. Recently, Pope Benedict spoke of Europe as a Godless society. 'Europe,' he said, 'has developed a culture that, in a manner unknown before now to humanity, excludes God from the public conscience, either by denying Him altogether, or by judging that His existence is not demonstrable and therefore uncertain and belonging to the realm of subjective choices, something, in any case, irrelevant to public life.'"
The editorial adds, "The heartland of Christianity, Europe, while retaining pockets of strength as in Poland, has essentially apostasized, and so have overseas settlements such as Australia and Canada and, to a lesser extent, the United States." The article does not come to any conclusions or make any predictions regarding these facts and how they appear, for the first time in history, to complete the first two conditions for the "general judgement".
Particularly striking about the editorial is the fact that Rev. de Valk has never been prone to apocalyptic suggestion. Rather, as an academic, political analyst and historian, he has in the past been known to disparage any such suggestions.
Are you proposing that the prophecy has already been realized? Which current world leader or international celebrity is "the Antichrist"? Or do you mean by "the reign of the Antichrist" some metaphorical similarity rather than a direct A=A predicational correspondence? If the latter is the case, then, logically, we could not be in "the reign of the Antichrist."
When the time comes – the question is, are we ready?
Even if we aren't facing the end of times, are we facing ours?
We don't know how much time each of us has. Einstein used to say, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” I think life is a miracle, and so is everyday we're alive.
Thank you for this post!! I share my birthday with Albert, and had never heard this before. Most interesting.
Just another coincidence? Now, I don't know what to say, Nyer.
That's it! For the past few weeks, I have been waking up at 4:30am. Don't know why. But the first thing I do is pull out the Rosary and begin praying.
Here are the signs ........
1. Jerusalem will return again to Jewish hands shortly before the Second Coming (Luke 21:24):
2. Sometime before the Second Coming, 2/3 of the Jews in the "whole land" will be exterminated (Zechariah 13:8-9). During the Holocaust, almost exactly 2/3 of Europe's Jews perished.
3. The Jewish nation will be reborn in a single day (Isaiah 66:5-8). This was literally fulfilled on May 14, 1948. The modern State of Israel was born in a single day following the passage of UN Resolution 181.
4. Jews will be regathered to Israel from around the entire world. (Ezekiel 36:22-28) and (Jeremiah 16:14-15). The current return of the Jews to Israel apparently even includes Jews from the ten lost tribes. Over the past decade about 600 "B'nei Manashe", a tribe from the Indian-Burmese border, have immigrated to Israel. They believe themselves to be the lost tribe of Manassah, exiled from Israel by the Assyrians in 723 BC. Their oral tradition speaks of the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they circumcise male children on the 8th day, as required by Jewish law; use prayer shawls with fringes, as do Jews; practice ritual purification as described in the OT; and follow many other ancient Jewish religious customs. Their priests use the Hebrew name of God as it appears in the Torah ("Yahweh") and invoke Mt. Sinai, Mt. Moriah and Mt. Zion.
5. The new Jewish state shall be extremely prosperous (Isaiah 66:9-4).
6. The fight over the city of Jerusalem will cause a world war (Zechariah 12:1-3; Joel 3:2 and Revelation 16:16).
7. But Israel will be miraculously militarily strong and able to successfull defend itself (Zechariah 12:6-9).
8. There will be widespread conversion of the Jews..
It is this last one that has not yet been fulfilled.
Something to reflect upon!
Very good summation. Thank you kindly.
4:30 am, yes!!!
Wow.
You too?
"...but what are the odds of this occuring 3 times in a
row?!"
There is no such thing as coincidence. Three times...for the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The Holy Trinity left you a message on celestial voicemail.
" Canada sanctifies perverts marrying and NEW ORLEANS get a hurricane?!"
And that hurricane might be seen as the better end of the stick some day soon. That hurricane will seem like a cakewalk if God is really about to clean house globally and turn back the clock 2 centuries (as Maria Esperanza referenced possible future events.) At least there was some time to run. Earthquakes don't give much warning to the average citizen.
I have a friend who thinks that the 'antichrist' is Islam. That it's more an idealogy than a person. Then I sent her links on Shamil Basayev.
You know, sometimes a very bad chastisement brings out the very good in people. I have seen some very bad things on the news lately, but I also have seen "hope" and I will always believe hope is a good thing.
nuts..just when I find an interesting thread to Ping you with - your already here!
Why does the Antichrist have to be human and visible?
Just keep pinging me, lol. I can't see every interesting thread there is, so your pings are most welcome.
Yup.
Note the time on this post?
I agree, so what? So what that the end may be near, or not. None of us get outta here alive, hello? If we would be priveleged to see our Lord come back, well thats wonderful. But the end, your end is always near, we just don't live very long in the cosmic sense of things.
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