Posted on 01/13/2005 8:10:49 AM PST by Rutles4Ever
(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
I for one wonder how much longer we all have.
Shiver!
IMHO, this Pope's battle was communism. Radical Islam may be the next Pope's battle.
Won't Satan be vanquished no matter how long are hard we fight? In fact, we don't have to fight at all and he will be vanquished.
Fascinating. Pardon me for bumping this so I can read it in better detail from home.
Can I suggest a possible modification to your two-word commentary on Revelation?
God Wins.
I use thsoe two words whenever someone asks my opinion on the message of Revelation. God Wins.
And since God is Love, the subtext of Revelation is, in my view, Love Wins, or Love is More Powerful, and will defeat Evil.
And that means that evil is not defetaed by more evil, but by love.
If we do, Satan will still be vanquished in the end.
It's a quagmire!
I can't speak for the other person you were talking with, butI can only say that it is because of my faith (which includes my faith in a God that would not lie to me) that the messages of Bible are true, certain, and reliable that I understand that acts of love -- no matter how simple or howing seemingly inconsequential -- are very powerful.
I'm not spending my time on this planet sitting around wating for Satan to lose (although I absolutely certain that he will lose).
And I may not be able to help out in any tangible way the people in Sudan, I do pray for them. I somehow think (it's the faith thing) that bringing my personal concern about the plight of people suffering in the Sudan to the Creator of the Entire Universe might have some effect.
But for those who actually live closer to me that the suffering people in the Sudan, I not only pray, but I try to do, as far asd I am able, something to alleviate their suffering.
I used to be upset that I could not go and "consul" people who were suffering overseas. Then I realilzed that there were people suffering right where I live. And I came to understand that God just might have me where I am precisely to help those who are also right where I am.
For me, helping those who are suffering as I am able, and praying for those who are suffering but who live too far away for me to help sure beats sitting around thinking up reasons why God doesn't exist.
I think you missed the gist of my statement
IOW, you'd rather hear preached a gospel that affirms you where you are right now and doesn't trouble you with the prospect of conversion.
You want to talk about tyranny? Real tyrany? Freeing people from brutal tyranny is what Christ is all about. The Pope is trying to get people to see that.
Some do; some don't.
end times ping....
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