02-11-2021, 11:59 PM
CHAPTER V
FAMINE, PEST, AND WAR
These signs have special importance. Even the seers of Sacred Scripture clearly treat of them. Of course there always have been wars, famines and the. like, but the specific occurrences which herald the latter days are distinguishable in two or three ways. These catastrophies are to be more universal, disastrous, and deadly. They are to be easily traceable to widespread moral evils in personal, family, social, national and international life. They are to occur when the world says "peace and security" while neither exists; when man plans without God, when the lowly rise against the mighty, children against parents; in a word when materialism and utter selfishness reigns. Lastly at the same time. persecution of Jews and Catholics must be involved and the former must be returning to Palestine. There are various other associated signs, a few of which we might mention here, for instance, the unnatural movement of heavenly bodies. the unseasonal flight of birds, vast numbers of fish being cast up by the sea. the rule of an unexpected person. war being carried on in the clouds. and finally. that after the birth of Anti-Christ. nation shall rise up against nation. Another enlightening point as already noted is that in these latter days there are to arise three great and evil rulers.
These various troubles were destined to begin with the revolt of the lower classes which. however, in the final analysis would lose the victory. The apparent order in which events are to occur at this time is more or less as follows: the people will be dissatisfied with the various conditions under which they live, revolutions will follow, together with various assassinations of those in high places, primarily because of various tyrannical laws.
Wars will break out in various countries begun primarily by Germany. 'Whole cities and even kingdoms will be destroyed. and these wars will spread to practically all countries of the world. As a sign of the approaching end of these wars there shall be much famine in the world through lack of rain. and a superabundance, in many places. of snow and ice. The famine shall be accompanied by earthquakes and various other terrors in nature. Finally, some pain causing plague will visit the earth. It would also seem that various meteors are to fall on the earth and a great comet is to appear in the northern sky. presaging tidal waves throughout the world.
As a result of all these various punishments which God will send upon the world, heretical and political sects will be completely disorganized and vanish as factors to be dealt with. but the toll that mankind must pay for a purified world will be one-third of the race. The majority of the dead will be men. Europe, of course, will be the hardest hit. for there three-fourths of the population shall be wiped out. In Europe and elsewhere most of the priests shall die in defense of their faith, no doubt the majority of these towards the end and during a three months rule under a system described as we would describe Communism. According to Nostradamus this period in the world's history begins when "Spain is split asunder for want of government and when militaristic elements rule Germany and Pagan cults revive." The people of Germany will have been impoverished. freedom banished and various "alarms" (war of nerves?) created. Nostradamus also foretells the impotency of a line of forts and the destruction of Paris. He refers also to the flight of a great German captain to England and the division of France, adding that part of it would be ruled over for a time by an old man (Petain?) who would later be deprived of power by the "Conqueror."
As regards England, it is noted that many "castles on the Thames" will be destroyed and that in the same year there will be great fear over the entire world with many terrible battles among many kingdoms. These events, according to one prophecy, were to occur when "King George, the son of a King George, ruled England." (The present king of England is a George, as was his father.) One of the Irish seers dates England's troubles from the time a Saxon king would renounce the throne. These woes, according to another oracle, were to come especially from the sky and be caused by "an eagle" with a "headless cross." (The only modern symbol which might fit here is the swastika.) Another ancient prophecy gives us a more or less definite date for the accomplishment of these events, for it says "when Our Lord shall lie in Our Lady's lap (that is when a feast of Our Lady-no doubt the Annunciation, March 25th-shall fall on Good Friday) then England will meet with a strange mishap. (According to the calendar in use at the time of this prediction, one such year would have been 1940.)
According to the prophecies, it would seem that Italy would be taken over by Germany, who in turn would relinquish it to Russia. Germany would be able to take over Italy through some sort of a ruse engendered especially by a deceptive speech delivered apparently at Milan. In this connection the Pope would have to flee Rome, and would die a cruel death in exile about a year later. (Some prophets say 90 days-others 200 days.) Whether or not this exile is forced or voluntary (so that he would be in a position to better rule the Catholic world)is not clear from the prophets. The time of his departure from Rome will come when Italy is without an "emperor" and France without a "ruler."
A schism of short duration is destined to break out, no doubt, because of the Pope's departure from Rome. An anti-
pope, of German origin, is to be set up, and finally Rome itself will be destroyed, but rather from the inside through pillage, than from without. Words attributed to the late Holy Father speak of Italy being laid waste but Rome spared. This, of course, would not indicate the absence of pillage.
About the time of the Pope's flight, France and Spain would unite in opposition to Germany and would be fairly successful. It would be then that Russia coming from the north. and Japan and Mohammedans from the east, would cause no small damage in Europe. Japan would furnish the sea power, Turkey the infantry, and Russia the air force. The planes are to be so numerous as to obscure the sky and their damage so great as to leave behind them a solid mass of flame. The initial success of France and Spain would be nullified for a moment, but they would continue to battle for the Christian cause and would be in the field when, by a patent miracle, God would defeat the combined armies of atheism.
We will know that the "Conqueror" has reached the zenith of his power when the "hooked cross" glistens on the top of Church spires. At about this same time revolution will break out in England as well as in France. However, France's will be of rather short duration, and with her aid. England's internal strife will be terminated. The English King would seem destined to be assassinated.
If a prophecy of Saint Columbkille applies to this same time it would seem that Japan is to send an enormous battle fleet against the English, and, among other places, will encounter and defeat them in the Mediterranean. However, this will not be accomplished before the English have put up a gallant fight against vastly superior forces. After this defeat, England will cease as a major power in the world. The prophet gives the reason: "they did not observe justice and rectitude." Three warning signs of England's approaching doom are given: first, the burning of the tower of the great kings; secondly, the burning of the English dockyards; and thirdly, the burning of the Treasury. The first two have of course occurred in this war. but in times past they have also occurred. The Bank of England has not been destroyed. I might note here, however, that the prophet may refer to the destruction of capitalism, especially as known in England, rather than the building itself. London is to be utterly destroyed, so much so that the capitol will be transferred to York, and the country will be governed by three joint rulers, apparently appointed by the Great Monarch. Between the destruction and the resurrection, England is destined to be battered by tidal waves. As a result of these sufferings, England will once more become a good and even great country. It will return to the Church. Conversions, however, shall be one by one. There is to be no mass swing to the Church.
The Russians and other atheists after breaking German resistance. will conquer everything before them until they are vanquished by internal revolts and external rebellion. At the height of their success they will unite with other atheists who rule Europe, possibly most of the world, and for a short time, probably three months. terrorize the vanquished. The Bible will be banished and burned, the war will eventually turn into a religious war in its fourth year, during which period there-will be a terrible persecution of Christians of both sexes and all ages. We will know that peace is near when Russia divides Europe, and when the true Pope and a black (anti?) pope1 die in the same night.
Before peace will once more come upon Europe. two factions will arise in France. the smaller, or Christian. will eventually win out, but terrible times will exist during this short civil war. Toward the end of this period there will appear the "Great Monarch." After the miraculous defeat of the atheistic hordes he will rule all Europe and likely, indirectly, the rest of the world.
The last decisive battle between the Christian and AntiChristian forces will be fought near Essen. Germany. The southern or Christian forces will win. Their leader. the future Great Monarch of Europe. will wear a white coat and a cross on the front of it. This decisive battle will take place on a feast of Our Lady. Shortly before. atheism will begin to be overthrown in its center, apparently Russia. Russia and Japan in the end will be severely punished for the shedding of so much innocent blood, so much so that never again will they be powers to reckon with in the world. A terrible earthquake in the east, likely in Japan itself. will be a sign that the ruin of the Oriental power is at hand.
When everything seems hopeless for the Christian forces God will work a "wonderful miracle." or as some prophets refer to it. "a great event" or "a terrible event," in favor of His own. During this phenomenon the truly holy will not be harmed. and terrible though it will be. yet we may take consolation in the fact that it will mark the end of God's chastisements. It would seem that the event mentioned vaguely by so many seers, is that specified by others as three days of darkness with the sun and the moon, as it were. turning to blood. The air will be poisoned, thus killing off most of the enemies of Christ's Church. During these three Jays the only light available to men will be blessed candles. and one candle will burn the entire period. However. even blessed candles will not light in the houses of the godless, yet once the candle is lit by one in the state of grace, it will not burn out until the three day's darkness is over. This "great event" will usher in peace to the troubled world. It would be a sort of reenactment of the three hours of darkness "over the whole earth" at Christ's crucifixion, and a preview of that which will mark the end of the reign of Anti-Christ.
Madeleine Porzat refers to the time of the three days darkness in a similar manner. She speaks of a concurrance of feasts which also happen to occur in the year 1943. Nostradamus in a like way indicates the same year.
The Abbot Werdin says that the Pope will cross the sea in a year when the Feast of St. George (April 23rd) falls on Good Friday, and St. Mark's feast (April 25th) falls on Easter Sunday, and the feast of St. Anthony (June 13th) falls on Pentecost, and the feast of St. John the Baptist (June 24th) falls on Corpus Christi-all these concurrances will take place in the year 1943 and not again till 2038.
According to the St. Odile prophecy, the "German Conqueror" will reach the "apogee" eighteen months after the war in question begins (war with Russia?). From that point on will be noted what is spoken of as the "diminution of his power" which will last for approximately nine months. Toward the end of this latter period there will be a revolt of the women of his own country at seeing so many of their men mercilessly slaughtered. During this same period the various conquered countries will clamor for peace but this will avail them nothing. Then will follow what is spoken of as a "period of invasion" which will last less than nine months. This would be three years of war. Others speak of an end in the 4th year. Russia seems destined to be the nemesis and invader of both Germany and the various other countries that Germany had previously occupied. At about this time Japan will begin to show her real power. especially at sea. Germany will be pillaged. the German conqueror defeated. Finally the Great Monarch and the Christian forces reuniting and with the help of God "through an unknown and frightful illness" will overthrow the Russians. Japanese. Turks. and all other atheistic elements. (This would imply some secret alliance between Russia. Japan, and Turkey.)
Devotion to the Precious Blood and Five Wounds will promote peace but the sense here seems to be that the peace will be extended either in time or more widely and effectively over the earth by reason of these devotions. Also. about this time devotion to the Holy Ghost will greatly increase (see frontispiece).
After the war, famines, earthquakes, darkness, etc.. there will be left in the world several women to every man. The Dominicans. Franciscans, and the various nursing nuns, seem to be the only religious orders left to carry on the work of God. Secular priests, of course, will always minister in Christ's Church.
It would seem that there is nothing we can do to avert these various catastrophies. The prophets advise us to prepare ourselves and endeavor to the best of our ability to appease God's anger as much as possible. The only prayers that will be readily heard by God are those for dying sinners. The most effective prayers that can be said are the five sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary.
To sum up and considering all these prophecies as referring to one and the same great war. I would say that a German conqueror will continue his successes over a period of about two years (against Russia). Then. from internal dissension and external "pressure" he will start his inevitable decline, culminating in his death and the loss of all his gains. His conqueror would be Russia, and possibly Turkey and Japan. England would be involved but doomed because of her past injustices. Among other disasters to befall her would be the loss of her fleet and with it her possessions, yet she would seem destined to continue a small but good, and likely influential nation. France would resurrect, but not as such; Poland would emerge free with St. Andrew Bobola as Patron. Russia, Japan and Turkey would be permanently weakened; all small nations of Europe freed, and Germany a smaller but peaceful and happy nation.
Regarding the United States, I have encountered only contemporary prophesies. One of these says that the United States west of the Rockies will be ruled for a short time by the Japanese who are to succeed because due to sabotage or other reasons, American defenders will have, as it were, only "sticks and stones" to fight with. The rest of the United States would change its form of government as the result of a revolution, which would last only about three months. These events would occur concurrently with similar events in Europe. The United States is of course included in the countries of the world, all of which would be due for punishment during the short rule of evil.
In conclusion it is worthy of note that the miracle which brings peace will destroy organized evil and very many evil individuals. but by no means all. At a future date there will be a reorganization of the diabolical remnant and others who have fallen from grace. but this new organization is not a revival of any destroyed on the fields of Westphalia.
Whether events unfolding themselves in the present world war fit in with these pictures or not. it is a little premature to say.
1 The Superior General of the Jesuits is sometimes referred to as the "Black Pope"
Heal our wounds, our strength renew,
On our dryness pour Thy dew,
Wash the stains of guilt away.
Bend the stubborn heart and will,
Melt the frozen. warm the chill,
Guide the steps that else would stray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess Thee evermore,
In Thy sevenfold gifts descend.
Give them virtue's sure reward,
Give them Thy salvation, Lord,
Give them joys that never end.