Catholic teaching about the "antichrist"

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Today I watched the History Channel. They had a special about who the antichrist was and what he was supposed to do. They debated the end times. But they seemed to rely on evangelican Christian teaching about the antichrist, some of which I do not believe. I don’t know if I agree with a lot of what is said in the Left Behind series.

youtube.com/watch?v=175Lp_W37Lw

Malachi Martin seems to believe the antichrist will be a figure just like the one described in the Left Behind series however. I do agree with a lot of what Martin says.
 
“The Antichrist” is often conflated with the Beast in the Book of Revelation. Whether the two beings are synonymous is the first issue you have to face.

Then, you have the question of if the Apocalypse of John is meant to be taken literally. I would say no, since in many ways it represents the Holy Mass.

Then, you have the question of if the Apocalypse of John is meant to be a future event or supposed to be a general allegory for good versus evil (i.e., the Roman Empire, the First French Republic, Nazi Germany etc. all represent the Beast). Again, given all of the imagery that likely pertains to the Roman Empire (the Beast rules the Seven Hills and also persecutes apostles from Jerusalem), it seems to me that this does not refer to a future empire.
 
What is good to focus attention on and observe within ourselves the evil spirit attempts to cause us to refocus our attention and observe external to ourselves and visa versa.

It’s good to keep in mind what drives the History Channels’s programming. $$$$
 
I watch the History channel and the International History channel frequently. Got to watchout when it comes to the Religion series though. Not exactly what I would call solid “Catholic”. Lots of Evangelical/protestant influence.
 
The Anti-Christ will be a person that appears after a “period of peace”, which will follow a chastisement from God. The Anti-Christ will claim to be either a Prophet of God or Christ Himself, and will appear in the Holy lands. However, the Anti-Christ will really be the Devil in disguise. Did it say anything like that in the special you watched on the History Channel?

Anyway, from what I know about it, the Anti-Christ will rule the world for some time, then the world will end.
 
I believe that the Anti-Christ is alive now. I already explained a true story that happened to my mother concerning the Anti-Christ, so if you’d like to read it, you can search my posts and find it.
 
(Ignore the above post, I beg of you. I broke the rules unintentionally, and it is humiliating to think of it. (I wish I could edit things…) I’m trying to get it deleted. )

I don’ know much about the Catholic teaching on the Antichrist, sorry. I shouldn’t have posted. I’m new here and learning the rules is tough for me.
 
Then, you have the question of if the Apocalypse of John is meant to be taken literally. I would say no, since in many ways it represents the Holy Mass.
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Then, you have the question of if the Apocalypse of John is meant to be a future event or supposed to be a general allegory for good versus evil (i.e., the Roman Empire, the First French Republic, Nazi Germany etc. all represent the Beast). Again, given all of the imagery that likely pertains to the Roman Empire (the Beast rules the Seven Hills and also persecutes apostles from Jerusalem), it seems to me that this does not refer to a future empire.
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I think an authentic Catholic understanding of St. John would include ALL of these interpretations. I don’t think any of these readings is exclusive of the others - It’s God’s book - He’s a smart One! Revelations/Apocalypse is such an amazing book. I can see how it would very validly apply to all periods in the history and future of the Church.

But concerning Antichrist, not all of the Fathers agree where he might be found in Revelations (if I remember right most say the Beast from the Sea would be the political leader of Satan’s kingdom [e.g. Nero, the final Antichrist] and the Beast from the Land would be the religious leader of the same [e.g. the High Priests that encouraged loyalty to Pagan Rome, the future “Anti-Baptist”/False Prophet]), but I don’t think there is any doubt that he is the “man of iniquity” St. Paul speaks of in 2nd Thessalonians. St. Paul is certainly speaking of a future individual who exalts himself “above all that is called God.”

A good summary is the old Catholic Encyclopedia entry on Antichrist
 
Orchids said:
(Ignore the above post, I beg of you. I broke the rules unintentionally, and it is humiliating to think of it. (I wish I could edit things…) I’m trying to get it deleted. )

I don’ know much about the Catholic teaching on the Antichrist, sorry. I shouldn’t have posted. I’m new here and learning the rules is tough for me.
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Not to worry. Whatever the foopah, your afterpost say’s more than the one about the anti-christ. :hug3:
 
From what I have read of Catholic prophecy, these times are not the times of ‘the’ Anti-Christ.

Though certainly, I believe all the signs are this is a type of it, that is leading to a major chastisement. What do I mean by a type? A foreshadowing, a dry run, an example of what it will be like to a lesser degree, undergone by these generations.

The reign of Julian the Apostate is as this as well, he is considered a type of Anti-Christ.

Certainly the great apostasy of Faith throughout the Church we are going through would be a good example of the effects of the future reign of the anti-Christ. And the World Wars leading up to these times, with everything moving so quickly, the Gospel preached to the entire world, the Papal States stolen, and the falling away from Christianity of the Gentile nations… there are many signs already fulfilled or fulfilled in a lesser way, or close to fulfilled.

The techniques Julian the Apostate used to oppress Christianity, i.e. a pretense of equal tolerance for all beliefs, but the letting off of the anti-Christian, and the prosecution of the Christian, are certainly in widespread use today.

But the Anti-Christ being here today would be against the prophecies of ‘the Great King’ who is supposed to when Christianity is about to be crushed to pieces, restore the world into Christian rule and grant mankind a period of peace.

‘Take notice that the Kingdom of France is predestined by God for the defense of the Roman Church which is the only true Church of Christ. This kingdom shall someday be great among the kingdoms of the earth, and shall embrace all the limits of the Roman Empire, and shall submit all other kingdoms to its own scepter.’

St. Remigius (5th Century)

This has yet to occur.

‘This great Monarch will assist the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. . . There will be one common law, only one faith, one baptism, one religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome, and shall pay homage to the Pope. But after an extended period of time fervor will cool, iniquity will abound, and moral corruption shall become worse than ever before, which shall bring upon mankind the last and worse persecution of Antichrist, and the end of the world.’

St. Caesarius

Hasn’t happened yet.

‘Peace will return to the world when the White Flower again takes possession of the throne of France. . . the latter times will be more evil and corrupt in the eyes of God. The children of God will be persecuted by means most hateful in the eyes of God. The throne of the last Roman Catholic empire will crumble and the scepter will fall out of the trembling hand of him who sits on the throne. Hence all justice will cease, or will be trodden under foot.’

Bl. Hildegard of Bingen

‘He shall… destroy all tyrants and heresies. There will be one fold and one shepherd. He will reign until the end of time. On the whole earth there will be twelve Kings, one Emperor, and one Pope.’

St. Francis of Paola [of the ‘Great Monarch’]

‘The enemy will allow the burning of Paris, and they will rejoice at it, but they shall be beaten; they shall be driven entirely from France. . . The Communists of Paris, after their defeat, shall spread themselves through all France, and will be greatly multiplied. They shall seize arms; they shall oppress the people of order. Lastly, a civil war will break out everywhere. . . They will imprison very many persons, and will be guilty of more massacres. They will attempt to kill all the priests and all the religious. But this shall not last long. . God shall come to help; the good shall triumph when the return of the king shall be announced. This shall restablish a peace and prosperity without example. Religion shall flourish again better than ever before.’

St. Jean Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars (d. 1859)

Think about the above in the context of Fatima. Catholics have a duty to make war on Communism.

So you see, these things have not yet happened, there are more of this same prophecy from others. It strains belief that there would be so many false or easily misunderstood prophecies from the saints on this matter.

‘The Great Monarch’ who is predicted to be of French descent, ‘the period of peace’ that accompanies his reign, these have yet to occur.

Prophecy is not an area I am comfortable in, so I hesitated to make this post more than a little. I do not have a widespread understanding of it.

I have used as references ‘Trial, Tribulation & Triumph’ by Birch, ‘Catholic Prophecy’ by Dupont, and an other older work or two – one of which had things occurring sooner, but appears to have misinterpreted. Prophecy books can overreach themselves in their interpretations at times, but the references they cite are useful no matter this.

The time of the Anti-Christ will be very disturbing. He will claim to be God, and that Christ was not God. He will demand all adhere to his worship, and infants newly born will speak out loud and chastise their mothers for not worshiping him instead of Christ.
 
" if you hear of wars and rumours of wars the time is not yet" Not even a rumour of a war. When that is noticed it is a sign of that time. Jesus describes it as a time like the time right before the flood. People are self sufficient living the vida loca. Jesus say’s they will be happily fulfilling the urge to procreate having made their heaven on earth quite content without God. Like they did in Noah’s day laughing and pointing at him saying " you have been waiting for this rain for 40 years, where is this rain that is coming? They will say when is this coming? everything is as it has been since the beginning. Will it ever happen?

Revelation desscribes a war in heaven. An invisible war. Truth verses deception. Deception relentlessly reversing what is good and evil in the heart of man and the Church preserving the Truth of it.

The following describes how I see it happening.
When deception weaves it’s most sublime expression and the Church is powerless, voiceless, invisible and unheard, and all who will hear the Truth has, the words of Jesus will take effect and the world will blame the Church for what it suffers, without reason but being deluded profoundly it will be true because they silenced the diciples at His entry into the Holy City. As He said they would , the very stones cry out. The Church suffering will be on earth and be seen meeting Christ in the clouds. The invisible realities will gradually be seen by more and more people all who will be saved are. The Church suffering (purgatory) on earth converts the Jews. When that is complete the suffering that purges ends and the forgotten state of purity known in the beginning completes the contracting spasms of the corporeal womb and the perisheable pass away and every human soul takes on incorruption.

The anti-christ will embody the whole people of the world since they will be a single mind. He will lead them to things they wouldn’t be lacking a single will to govern their single mind. He will be all of them as one man. He will know what they have in mind that they will not know and be their god.
 
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