"And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. But the one who restrains is to do so only for the present, until he is removed from the scene. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie, and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved. Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned." (2 Thessalonians 2: 6-12).
This scriptural passage is most important. For here Paul emphasizes that the power of the Antichrist is one of seduction. Antichrist is a seducer who seeks to draw people away from the truth. He will work from within religion to seduce people to abandon traditional Christianity and to worship him. How effective will he be? Father Livio Fanzaga, commenting on The Antichrist by Vladimir Soloviev, writes, "So great is the Antichrist's power of seduction over believers - and they never realize it - that he will openly pose as the savior and restorer of religion and universal peace. He will deceive many."
But a tiny remnant will remain faithful. As Pope Paul VI said, "It is enough if only a tiny flock, no matter how small, survives." These words are sobering and should speak loudly to us. Father Fanzaga continues, "In Soloviev, the remnant is defined by recognition of Jesus Christ, 'Himself and all that comes from Him. This is their total horizon and the inexhaustible meaning of life. The tiny flock is not made up of the avant guard intelligentsia - the intellectuals and the theologians have joined the emperor. Neither are they defined in terms of a moral code. Rather they are those who refuse to serve two masters.' I tend to regard them as ordinary people, the humble and those who remain faithful." (The Wrath of God, p. 33).
Pope Benedict XVI, as Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, in an essay entitled, "A Final Reflection: Soloviev's vision of eschatological unity," reminds us that: "..the Antichrist has his followers, and always even among those occupying the highest spiritual offices.....Therefore, we should already, and always, be motivated by concern lest, with big Christian words and wrapped in a cloak of Christianity, we become servants of the Antichrist, who wants to set up his kingdom in this world and to render the future kingdom of Christ redundant."
3 comments:
" It is extremely difficult to persevere in holiness with all the terrible corruption existing in this world. Nowadays, the world is so corrupt that almost from necessity devoted hearts are soiled, if not by mud then, at least, by dust.
It is truly a kind of miracle if a person maintains his integrity in the midst of the present chaos, survives the storm without drowning and without falling foul of pirates and buccaneers and without being infected by the tainted wind....
Only the blessed Virgin, against whom the devil has never had the upper hand, is capable of working such a miracle for those who love Her and trust in Her."
by St. Louis Mary de Montfort
Lord save us from all deception!
Mark Mallett:
"[the] New Age shares with a number of internationally influential groups, the goal of superseding or transcending particular religions in order to create space for a universal religion which could unite humanity. Closely related to this is a very concerted effort on the part of many institutions to invent a Global Ethic. —Jesus Christ, The Bearer of the Water of Life, n. 2.5 , Pontifical Councils for Culture and Inter-religious Dialogue
This 'Global Ethic' will attempt to blend cultural, political, and economical realities into one framework with a 'universal religion' as its foundation. The heart of this spirituality is the 'supreme Self' —me, myself, and I. As such, there really is no unity in mutual love but a False Unity based upon a false trinity: Tolerant, Humane, and Equal. We are all gods trying to reach a 'universal consciousness', a harmony with one another, Mother Earth, and the 'vibrations' or 'energy' of the cosmos. We will reach this transcendent reality through a 'paradigm shift' and 'altered state of consciousness.' Since there is no personal God, there is no Judge, and therefore, no sin.
Speaking to the 'youth of the world', Pope John Paul warned of this insidious spirituality which will lead not to freedom, but slavery—bondage to Antichrist and the dragon himself:
There is no need to be afraid to call the first agent of evil by his name: the Evil One. The strategy which he used and continues to use is that of not revealing himself, so that the evil implanted by him from the beginning may receive its development from man himself, from systems and from relationships between individuals, from classes and nations—so as also to become ever more a 'structural' sin, ever less identifiable as 'personal' sin. In other words, so that man may feel in a certain sense 'freed' from sin but at the same time be ever more deeply immersed in it. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter, Dilecti Amici, To The Youth of the World, n. 15
It is clear, then, that Christianity and her indissoluble moral codes stand as a formidable obstacle to this counter spirituality.
The New Age which is dawning will be peopled by perfect, androgynous beings who are totally in command of the cosmic laws of nature. In this scenario, Christianity has to be eliminated and give way to a global religion and a new world order. —‚Jesus Christ, The Bearer of the Water of Life, n. 4, Pontifical Councils for Culture and Inter-religious Dialogue
The word androgynous means to be of 'indeterminate sex', that is, people who are bi-sexual, transsexual, or homosexual—or at least, embracing these 'alternatives.' Thus, we see the satanic influence in the current trend to change and alter discrimination and marriage laws in the broader context of a New World Order… a new, and anti-Christian age."
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