Millennialism and a time of peace

[Monica4316]

The Catechism condemns “millennialism”… some believe it condemns just the idea of a physical reign of Christ on earth before the Second Coming, while others use a broader interpretation since the Catechism also condemns the idea that a political system could lead to a perfect heaven-like “utopia” on earth (ie: Marxism).

How does all this relate to the “time of peace” that is prophesied in various **approved **Catholic mystics? I’ve understood it to mean a time of greater conversion, more Saints, greater sanctity, a Catholic monarch and a great Pope, etc… but it would not be a time where sin is impossible, as it would later cool off and the antichrist would come. Not everyone in this time would be a saint, it would just be a time of the “social reign of Christ”. For example, the middle ages could be called as being MORE of a social reign of Christ than what we have today, just based on the current separation of Church and State, and the State being unwilling to follow the Church’s morality.

Is this understanding different from “millennialism” that the CCC talks about? how do we understand the writings of these mystics? how are they different also from the medieval millennialists ie Joachim of Fiore

thank you

 

[misstherese]

The time of peace is meant to be only about 25 or 30 years, which is marked by a time where people are more devout. This isn’t what I’d call a utopia, but more of a prosperity. There will still be pockets of unbelievers. One can compare this time of peace to the time after the flood.

Millenarianism is the belief that Jesus will actually be on earth, reigning for a thousand years. This idea was based on the false interpretation of the verse Revelation 20:1-6. Protestants think of a literal “thousand years”, when in reality, the correct translation would be “eternity” or “forever”. They also believe this reign will be after the second coming.

The time of peace is supposed to happen before the second coming, after the chastisement (probably the 3 Days of Darkness prophesied by many saints including St. Padre Pio) where believers will be spared and left to build up the world again. After this time, the Antichrist is born, and things become much worse again until Jesus comes.