POPE: SATAN WILL BE VANQUISHED BUT THE FIGHT IS LONG AND HARD (Pope invokes the Apocalypse!)

(AGI) - Vatican City, 12 Jan - The Pope commented today on the Apocalypse before the 7,000 people attending the General Papal Audience today in the Nervi Hall, indicating that the fight between good and evil, personified by Satan, is a very hard one, as shown by the manifold violence and injustice in the world today, however the outcome is certain, evil will be vanquished. Pope John Paul II explained, "God and the Lamb, Christ, surrounded by the 'Council of the Crown', are judging human history in good and evil, but showing us however the ultimate end in salvation and glory. The songs which are found in the Apocalypse and which serve to illustrate the issue of divine glory which regulates the flux, often disconcerting, of the tide of human events". Of great significance is the first part of the hymn intoned by the 24 ancients who seem to incarnate the chosen people in their two historic stages, the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles of the Church. The Pope continued, Satan, the original adversary, who accused our brothers in the heavenly court, has now been cast down from heaven and therefore no longer has great power. He knows he has not much time left because history is about to see a radical turning point in freedom from evil and therefore he is reacting full of great fury. And then the resurrected Christ will rise up, whose blood is the principle of salvation and who received from the Father royal power over the entire universe, in Him are centred salvation, strength and the kingdom of our God. In his victory are associated the Christian martyrs who chose the path of the cross, not yielding to evil and it virulence, but delivering themselves to the Father and uniting themselves to the death of Christ by means of a testimony of donation and courage which brought them to give up life in order to die". He concluded, "the words of the Apocalypse regarding those who have vanquished Satan and evil through the blood of the Lamb, echo also in the splendid prayer attributed to the Christian martyr Simeon, from Seleucia-Ctesifonte in Persia, 'I will receive life without pain, worry, anguish, persecutor, persecuted, oppressor, oppressed, tyrant or victim, there I will see no threat of king, or terror of prefects, no-one will quote me in court or terrorise me and no-one will drag me or scare me". (AGI) . 121425 GEN 05

You are so deeply brainwashed. I will pray for your soul.

Mary cannot rescue anyone from anything. Whether or not "saints" pray for you after they are dead I cannot answer, although I do not believe that they do. But even if she can intercede for you to God, this does not mean that whatever she tells God to do, he will do. Therefore she can't tell God that you get to go to Heaven just because you prayed to her 10 times or a million. She has NO BEARING WHATSOEVER ON ANYONE'S SALVATION AND UNTIL YOU CAN GIVE ME A BIBLE VERSE TO COUNTER THAT THEN I MAINTAIN THAT YOU ARE PREACHING HERESY. It would be nice if you could give me some Bible, too, that says Karol can forgive my sins, too (he can't, by the way). You do not enter Heaven by works, therefore that shoots this whole rosary crap right out the window.

As for me not eating Christ, I do take communion. And I eat unleavened bread and drink the fruit of the vine as symbolic of Christ's body and blood. Therefore I was not ignoring a "plank in my eye". Just ignoring your comment.

You don't read I can see.

Mary cannot rescue anyone from anything. Whether or not "saints" pray for you after they are dead I cannot answer, although I do not believe that they do. But even if she can intercede for you to God, this does not mean that whatever she tells God to do, he will do.

No this is true, but I would like her as a prayer partner, wouldn't you? I am sure she won't pray for things offensive to God, and God wouldn't grant them would he? Your prayer for me to leave the Church Christ founded would be indeed offensive to God.

She has NO BEARING WHATSOEVER ON ANYONE'S SALVATION AND UNTIL YOU CAN GIVE ME A BIBLE VERSE TO COUNTER THAT THEN I MAINTAIN THAT YOU ARE PREACHING HERESY.

I did. She did not Pray when she said, "My soul does magnify the Lord"? It makes no sense that just because someone dies, they stop praying. I am telling you what the Church holds true for 2000 years. What did man do before the year 397 when St. Jerome compiled the First Bible in it's form today? I don't think they even had a caps lock key.

And I eat unleavened bread and drink the fruit of the vine as symbolic of Christ's body and blood.

GO back and reread the scripture. My body is real food. His Body is his Body, either you eat it or you don't. No symbol is involved.

Um. Luke 22:19-20 CLEARLY defines his body and his blood. From Jesus's own mouth:
19And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.
20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.

It doesn't say he broke off his arm and they all munched on it. He gave them this bread and wine as a symbol of his flesh and blood, and said later, "this do in remembrance of me"

And I don't care how you try and justify the 15 promises of Mary. They clearly state that anyone who prays to her, their soul will not perish. And that is still, and always will be, heresy. And I will not believe for a second that she actually said those things, because Mary knew that the only way to Heaven was through Jesus and God. And I don't think she would have said she could see to it anyone was saved. I will let you know now, that I will no longer argue this point. Because you do not care what the Bible says. And that's all I have for reference.

Luke 22:19-20 CLEARLY defines his body and his blood.

Doesn't contradict what he said, and what the Apostles taught, which is what Christians do. The Bible was written by men from the Early Church as a reference. To understand the teachings, those same men wrote each other letters, wrote out lectures, and even preached with a scribe writing them down in Greek, the trade tongue of the time. Many of these writings are in the Bible as inspired. Many writings also exists that make it clear what they wrote out in the inspired writings.

Those writings are available to anyone who wishes to see them, even you. You would know the Apostles taught that the bread of the altar becomes the Lords Body, in a real way. Not symbolic.

I sought to assist you in you "distress" I see you now only seek to bash the Church, without understanding the teachings of it.

The dead in Heaven pray, and offer prayer to God unceasingly. You mean you couldn't find that in the Bible? What do you think they were doing when they said, "Holy Holy Holy Lord..."

Your lack of actual scholarship, instead of looking for yourself what the Church teaches is a problem for you. That is the real tragedy, and that leads to actual Heresy. One is thinking the only way Christ could offer his body for us to eat is by actually breaking off his arm.

He is God you know. Oh wait, Trinity isn't in the Bible, is it...

you are right, I am uninformed about your beliefs...you, however, have some magic ability to know that I don't believe in the Trinity...which I do...

I am deeply sorry that I am unable to communicate the truth to you. I have a lack of knowledge on many things, and I just wish that someone more knowledgeable about the Bible and about Catholicism would speak out. You will probably say that the reason someone more knowledgeable does not speak out, is that they know I am wrong, and Karol is right, and we are supposed to pray to Mary, because she can tell God what to do and assure that they get out of purgatory faster. I cringe each time a catholic refers to catholicism as THE CHURCH, as much as I cringe when a homosexual says they are a Christian. I have about as much luck convincing them otherwise as I have you. This is clearly not one of my gifts. I'm sorry that I failed. But I'm not sorry to you, or to Mary. I am sorry to God. He's the one that matters, and He knows my heart. And He knows what I want to say, and He has not chosen to give me those words. I will defer to His judgement and just shut up. But I will not stop praying for your soul.

I reviewed that "hoax" write up but there are several problems with it.

There are a lot of things in Revelations that cannot be accounted for in history. For example:
Revelation 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Tell me when that was fulfilled? What is the sea? Because it looks to me like there is plenty of sea. I don't see where the great bowl judgements were fulfilled in the first century. When did a third of mankind ever die? When were a third of the seas made bitter? When did locusts with the face of men attack people?

Hal Lindsey never claimed to be a prophet, only a guy who was trying to make sense of scripture and who had no more special revelation than you or I. When Hal Lindsey made is comments about the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel he had a string of about 4 or 5 "if's". Those if's included "if a generation meant 40 years", if the fig bearing fruit was correctly interpreted as the rebirth of Israel as a nation", if, if, if.

The following facts remain. The generation that saw Israel reborn has not completely passed away yet, but obviously the interpretation of 40 years was wrong or the start point is wrong.

Alternatives to the rebirth of Israel have been advanced as well. The recapture of Jerusalem, or perhaps the return to Israel's full borders.

The passage that "one generation shall not pass" comes from makes it clear that the second coming of Jesus will be a sudden event like in the days of Noah. I believe it is wrong to interpret the resurrection as the "first" second coming.

37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Likewise I believe it's wrong to consider the first rapture as the "first" second coming, since Jesus never returns, we meet him in the air. In the following passage, Revelations clearly mentions two raptures. Everyone who participates in the first is considered holy. The second occurs right before the great Judgement.

Rev 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, 8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. ...12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

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