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Joshua Jones
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Hi, guys —
I have been doing research on Marian apparitions and found the time of peace particularly interesting.
I see in the apparitions of:
- Fatima
- Our Lady of Good Success
- Our Lady of Anita
- the Virgin of Revelation, and
- a few others, including a stigmatist Marie-Julie Jahenny
that the time of peace is brought on by a violent war and chastisement from God. I also see many saints predict a champion of God, a King, who facilitates this peace.
- Is there any credence to these prophecies?
- Could a king have risen?
Isaiah 11:11 speaks of a God laying his hand on a second man, I assume after Jesus has already done the salvific act.
- Does this verse point to this man? and
- If I'm not mistaken, didn't the Jews believe in the coming of two Kings one who suffered and one who conquered?
Thank you in advance.
Joshua
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{
Is there any credence to these prophecies and could there be another second, risen king? }
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Mike replied:
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Hi Joshua,
Marian apparitions are not part of the doctrine of the Church. When the faithful ask for guidance, the Church only says that specific apparitions are either:
- harmful, or
- not harmful to the faithful.
That's it!
Mike
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John replied:
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Joshua,
The notion that there will be a second god or king is pure heresy!! Period!! It is total nonsense.
Isaiah 11:11 is talking about the return of Israel to the Land of Israel. It can be understood to be fulfilled in many ways.
Israel was first brought out of Egypt. It was sent into a diaspora for disobedience and idolatry in the Old Testament. Those sent to Babylon were returned after
70 years and that's what Isaiah is primarily talking about and that was only the tribe of Judah, so that Jesus could come the first time.
The return to Israel by the Jews after World War II is another possible fulfillment and the Jews entering the Kingdom — meaning the Church is also a fulfillment according to Catholic doctrine.
St. Paul says there is one mediator between God and Man: the Man, Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5)
There will be no peace until Christ returns. It is possible that the anti-Christ will bring about a false peace. This depends on possible interpretations
of End Time prophesy.
Chasing after apparitions that have not been yet been approved or have been disapproved is a total waste of time and is dangerous.
I would stick to the Bible and Catechism and interpret the Bible in light of the Catechism and Church teaching.
There will be no second king or god. There will be a Second Coming of Christ at the end of days and no man knows the day or the hour. (Matthew 24:36)
We need to live our lives as though it could happen every day so we focus on living holy lives and leading people to Christ.
There will be a period of Chastisement or Tribulation. Then the End will come.
John
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Joshua replied:
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Thank you.
I appreciate the honest and clear answer.
I agree. I wasn't thinking of another Christ because that would truly be heresy.
- But aren't the pope and king you believe in to bring a false peace or is this not true?
I have seen a lot of saints talk of their coming since the fourth or fifth century but, no, I generally don't give credence to unapproved and especially disproved private revelation . . . just an interesting idea in a time when the Church seems so decided.
Thank you,
Joshua
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John replied:
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Hi, Joshua —
Please Reply All so the whole AAC team can follow the conversation.
I wouldn't bring the Pope into this situation at all.
There will be an anti-Christ. Some believe that one of the signs he will perform is to establish a false peace between Israel and her neighbors.
That is speculation based on some Biblical texts. It could be true.
John
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Joshua replied:
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OK John,
From what I understand there is to be a minor chastisement and then a return to a truly Catholic world and Christendom before the man of sin arises. This follows what the apparitions of Fatima and Our Lady of Good Success say about a time of peace and the prophecy of Our Lady of Good Success states there will be a great pope to lead the world in that time. Other prophecies I have read say a king, like David, not God, will help him achieve that. Our Lady of Good Success, if I'm not mistaken, is approved and speaks of the twentieth century.
I am not too worried. I will continue to live my life: striving for Heaven. I'm not going to start prepping for the End Times or anything but it seems like we might be close to that chastisement mentioned in Fatima, Akita, and the Virgin of Revelation in the Scriptures.
- Should they all just be ignored?
As for the Scripture passage I mentioned, thank you again for the correction.
Joshua
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John replied:
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Joshua —
There will be a huge and final period of chastisement or tribulation such as has never been seen before.
The Son of David that sits on the throne in Heaven and will reign forever with the Elect, after the Resurrection of the Dead is Jesus Christ!
At this point, I would stick to Church doctrine and just stay away from all private revelation. People attribute things to Fatima that Our Lady never said in her apparition to the children.
It sounds like you can't distinguish between the very simple, short message of Fatima and all the flaky stuff apparition chasers have added.
John
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Joshua replied:
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OK,
I will stop thinking about it and just:
- continue my devotional life, and
- work on my holiness.
- On a different topic, do you know where I can get a good commentary on the Bible. I would prefer an Aquinas commentary or a commentary from someone of his stature.
Thank you for the good information. May the Eternal God bless and keep you.
Joshua
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John replied:
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Josh,
The best commentary for you to use now is the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The Navarre Study Bible series is also excellent but it gets expensive as it consist of several volumes. On the positive side, it contains a lot of notes and comments from the Church Fathers.
Aquinas material is more theological than biblical-commentary based. It also requires a very substantial philosophical background to properly understand what he is saying.
I would also recommend Dr. Scott Hahn. He's a convert to the faith and head of biblical theology at Franciscan University.
He draws from the Church Fathers and Doctors of the Church. He has several books and audio CDs available on various books of the Bible. His audio series on Revelation may be helpful for you. Some of what he espouses is his own theological opinion but that's what a commentary is.
That's why I ultimately recommend the Catechism as it is official Church Teaching. It includes references to Church Councils and draws from the Fathers of the Church.
John
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Joshua replied:
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John,
- Is there a better or worse Catechism?
I have the one for my children: the Baltimore Catechism (the question and answer one) but am looking for a good one for adults.
Joshua
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John replied:
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