It sure seems to me that evil is accelerating in the world at an exponential rate. Mortal sin has become the norm in the world, with abortion, anarchy against Catholic churches, pornography, homosexual marriage, adultery, foul language, and atheism seemingly snuffing out Christianity all over the world. Polls have shown that only 31% of Catholics believe in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, while Church attendance on Sunday has fallen to record lows. These rapidly increasing abominations of spitting in God’s face through sin, heresy, and ingratitude could be signs that we are in the final days of human history on planet earth. Jesus Christ Himself said in Luke 18:8, “But when the Son of Man returns, will He find any faith on earth?”
Of course, no one knows the exact time and date of the Second Coming of Christ to the earth as its judge, but we are told to be mindful of the signs of the times – wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, etc. All of these things seem to be happening now, along with extreme droughts and incivility (Luke 21:11). So let’s see what has been prophesied about the end of the world.
2 Timothy 3:1-9
But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. 2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people. 6 For among them are those who make their way into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and swayed by various impulses, 7 who will listen to anybody and can never arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 8 As Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of corrupt mind and counterfeit faith; 9 but they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men.
2 Peter 3:3-7
3: First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, 6 through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church
(P. 675-677) Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the “mystery of iniquity” in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.
The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism.
The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.
Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope St. John Paul II
“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of the American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel. This confrontation lies within the plans of divine Providence; it is trial which the whole Church, and the Polish Church in particular, must take up. It is a trial of not only our nation and the Church, but, in a sense, a test of 2,000 years of culture and Christian civilization with all of its consequences for human dignity, individual rights, human rights and the rights of nations.”
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen
“We are living in the days of the Apocalypse–the last days of our era…. The two great forces of the Mystical Body of Christ and the Mystical Body of Antichrist are beginning to draw up the battle lines for the catastrophic contest.”
Saint Francis of Assisi
“There will be an uncanonically elected pope who will cause a great Schism, there will be diverse thoughts preached which will cause many, even those in the different orders to doubt, yea, even agree with those heretics which will cause my Order to divide, then will there be such universal dissension and persecutions that if those days were not shortened even the elect would be lost.”
“The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us.
Sister Anne Catherine Emmerich
“I saw deplorable things: they were gambling, drinking, and talking in church; they were also courting women. All sorts of abominations were perpetrated there. Priests allowed everything and said Mass with much irreverence. I saw that few of them were still godly… All these things caused me much distress.”
“Then I saw the connection between the two Popes and the two temples. I am sorry that I have forgotten the numbers, but I was shown how weak the one had been in adherents and human support, but how strong in courage to overturn so many gods (I knew the number) and to unite so many different forms of worship into one; and, on the contrary, how strong in numbers and yet how irresolute in action was the other since, in authorizing the erection of false temples, he had allowed the only true God, the only true religion to be lost among so many false gods and false religions.
I saw the fatal consequences of this counterfeit church; I saw it increase; I saw heretics of all kinds flocking to the city. I saw the ever-increasing tepidity of the clergy, the circle of darkness ever widening. And now the vision became more extended. I saw in all places Catholics oppressed, annoyed, restricted, and deprived of liberty, churches were closed, and great misery prevailed everywhere with war and bloodshed. I saw rude, ignorant people offering violent resistance, but this state of things lasted not long. Again I saw in vision St. Peter’s undermined according to a plan devised by the secret sect while, at the same time, it was damaged by storms; but it was delivered at the moment of greatest distress. Again I saw the Blessed Virgin extending her mantle over it.”
“I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church.
Our Lady of Good Success, Quito
“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.”
“Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.”
“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!”“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.”
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing….
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.”
“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.”
“The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church…and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near.
The Bottom Line
No one knows when the end will occur. We just need to be ready at all times, by living in the state of grace with the Eucharist, Confession, and the daily Rosary.
48 thoughts on “It’s the End of the World!”
May I get the source for the St Francis quote please?
Lots of comments. My grandparents and others have talked about the end times for years, and years,ago. Lots of signs are given to us each and everyday. The earth was destroyed in the Old Testament because of sin. We as individuals, are to look around us and turn our eyes to God. We need to proclaim His love and sacrifice for our sins. For when we Die our time has ended ( our world has ended) and our judgement is made by the Lord. Our purpose on this earth is to Love and serve our Lord. Share the good news, that their is new life to be lived in His presence.
Pray for strength, wisdom, and discernment. So we do not fall into worrying about when the time for Jesus to come. He could come any second.
Are we ready? Have we accomplished Our purpose for being here? Did we love and serve Him. How wonderful it is that He gave us the instructions to follow with the Bible and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Have a blessed day!!!
Agree, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, have been given our assignment in Matthew 28:18-20.
However, the Bible actually does give us clues as to when Jesus returns. While no one knows the exact day or hour of His return (Matthew 24:36), The Word of God is a guide. That’s what makes eschatology something to study.
Clues are contained in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Revelation, Daniel, Ezekiel, Zechariah, Corinthians, Thessalonians, and others.
Guaranteed that He won’t be coming back until the applicable Biblical prophecies are fulfilled.
In the meantime, we can still pray for His return to bring peace to God’s holy city and establish the kingdom of God on earth.
Thank you Ray for your thoughts and answers 🙏
Ray I really enjoyed your article. Well done! Remember that the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ must take place after the Second Coming of Jesus. We are not too far off from the Second Coming of Jesus. The signs are all around us today. The day or the hour only God the Father knows. Wake up as they say and smell the roses. In the end the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumph!
Why will the Immaculate Heart of Mary triumph? Jesus is coming back!
Because that’s the way he came into the world the first time, through Mary (physically). The second time, He will come into the world spiritually, through Mary…
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From the Catholic Encyclopedia:
The word Catholic (katholikos from katholou — throughout the whole, i.e., universal) occurs in the Greek classics, e.g., in Aristotle and Polybius, and was freely used by the earlier Christian writers in what we may call its primitive and non-ecclesiastical sense. Thus we meet such phrases as the “the catholic resurrection” (Justin Martyr), “the catholic goodness of God” (Tertullian), “the four catholic winds” (Irenaeus), where we should now speak of “the general resurrection”, “the absolute or universal goodness of God”, “the four principal winds”, etc. The word seems in this usage to be opposed to merikos (partial) or idios (particular), and one familiar example of this conception still survives in the ancient phrase “Catholic Epistles” as applied to those of St. Peter, St. Jude, etc., which were so called as being addressed not to particular local communities, but to the Church at large.
Guy:
But there is no Catholic Church mentioned in the Bible. The apostles, Mary, and others became known as the “church in Jerusalem”; see the Book of Acts.
The term “Catholic” first appears in a letter from Ignatius of Antioch around 110 AD.
By then, Mary and all of the apostles had died.
https://www.catholica.com/epistle-of-ignatius-to-the-smyrnaeans/
In the Greek, Acts 9:31 specifically mentions the words Kath ahol, which, in English, is Catholic…
Ray:
If you read the entire New Testament of the Bible, the first believers of Jesus were Jews who recognized Him as their promised Messiah; not Catholics.
But the became Catholics, just like Mary and all the apostles
the entire writings of the martyrs in the coliseum and the Early Church Fathers agree 100%, that they were all Catholics..Not one protestant around until 15 centuries later…
Ed,
Take a look at Romans 1:16-32. Was Paul “judging”, or just speaking the truth about the state of affairs of Roman society in his times?
Aren’t we faced with the same circumstances in our lifetime?
Do we simply accept unnatural behavior and call it “love”, or identify it for what it is?
Ray,
Are you suggesting that today’s Church is the same as the one started by Jesus? Clearly it is not.
Some students of eschatology suggest that Revelation 18 is a warning to leave the Church of the future.
Clearly, it is. Which other church qualifies? The Baptist Church? I don’t think so. If you read the writings of the martyrs in the Coliseum, they make it very clear that they are all Catholics…
Hi Robert
(Hopefully this reply will land next to yours?)
re Genesis 19:1-28.
Jesus challenged “The Law” It’s partly why they killed him.
Re Epistle of Jude and Paul Corinthians 6:9-10.
These guys were not Jesus. Their writings were selected, over others, by a committee.
The point is that Jesus preached a message of love and acceptance.This shines through very clearly in the gospels. And he warned about judging others.
My take is that the warning is about any excessive behaviour, sexual or substance or greed etc.
Why pick on the gays? Maybe God made them that way to test you?
My intent was not to pick on the gays, but as I said, there is nothing in the Bible that gives approval to the homosexual lifestyle. It clearly does say the opposite.
Jesus preached repent and turn away from your sin. He also said to pick up your cross and follow him.
Maybe that is their test of obedience to God.
Judging means that you condemn someone to hell…only Jesus can do that. Pointing out a person’s sinful lifestyle is called “admonishing the sinner,” and is one of the Catholic spiritual works of mercy. And sodomy is a mortal sin, according to the bible. No one is picking on you; it’s just that homosexuals are militantly trying to get the world to accept sodomy as being normal, right and good, when in fact, according to God, it’s a great evil.
You don’t see Trump’s bogotries and gun violence as evil.
I do.
That’s the divide here. Explain yourself.
Your Leftist tilt is showing
Ray:
Is Catholic theology 100 % correct? Take a look at what the current
pope says and does about “unity” with beliefs that are not biblical. How can there be unity with Muslims and others who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God and the way to salvation?
The Catholic Church executed Christians throughout history for questioning it’s theology.
Henry VIII and the English killed many, many Catholics in Ireland, for the sin of being Catholic.
The Church, not you, is the pillar and bulwark of truth, per the Bible….
You should put this in a time capsule with the label ‘ To be opened when the end is HERE.
Let’s do it.
Ray:
Let’s take a look at 2 Peter 1:20. It says: “There is no prophecy contained in Scripture which is personal interpretation.”
How is that related to praying the Rosary?
Further, what you are suggesting by your article is the examples of private revelation out way Scripture.
Who needs to repent?
Well, for starters, there is no personal interpretation of scripture with the rosary. None.
Private revelation and personal interpretation of scripture are 2 entirely different things. They would only be at odds with each other if, for example, a “seer” said that there were 4 persons in the Blessed Trinity, or that the Blessed Virgin Mary isn’t our spiritual Mother.
Ray:
Again, we are at that point where we disagree.
I am fully confident that God will judge which one of us are on the right path.
Join me on the journey to the Truth.
It’s because you are 100% ignorant on Catholic theology, and only use your personal interpretation of scripture for a basis of “the Truth.” But that is forbidden in 2 Peter 1:20…Repent of that before it’s too late!
Robt, You are lucky to have read the bible. But for some small part of the New Testament, I have only read translations. Guy, Texas
Your path sounds Protestant and false
Ray:
I have been to novenas. I seriously doubt that the participants are meditating on Scriptures as the recite the Rosary.
Novenas aren’t the same as rosaries…Apples and oranges…
Are you not familiar with the 20 Bible events of the Rosary that we meditate on? Google them, so that you won’t be ignorant of what we do when we say the rosary.
How do you know what people are thinking about when they say the rosary? Are you a mind reader?
When you say “I love you” to a woman, surely you are also thinking about something too. It’s the same with the rosary. We say the first words of salvation in the NT, “Hail, Full of Grace, the Lord is with you,” words which the devil hates. And we meditate on the crucifixion and other bible events when we say those words….You act like this is hidden knowledge, and isn’t shouted from the rooftops on every rosary website.
Ray:
Is the limit of 2,000 words for the entire article? I have noticed several writers submitting segments for the same topic. Admittedly, I have not counted the number of words in any article.
I guess the bottom line of my comment deals with scriptural vs. private revelation. Which is more valid?
Private revelation is like a commentary on sacred scripture, just like when a pastor gives a sermon on scripture. He doesn’t spend 30 minutes just quoting sacred scripture; he expounds on it with his opinions and views. A book by Dr. Billy Graham quotes scripture and then he tells us what he thinks it means. So, this article is no different.
The Catholic Church gave the world the Bible in 382 AD; and it continues to provide commentary on it at each mass….
This article, according to my software, has exactly 2000 words in it.
Disappointed that your article didn’t mention more passages from Scripture which give us clues about the “end of days” (Daniel 12:13). You could have quoted Jesus from Matthew 24, Mark 13, or Luke 21. Or included Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians and the Corinthians.
Then there is the Book of Revelation, as well as passages from Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zechariah, and other scripture about the Day of the Lord.
The Bible does remind us to pray often to God, but nothing about the Daily Rosary.
I’m only allowed 2000 words…
The daily rosary is meditating on sacred scripture…Catholics do this every time they say a rosary. I would recommend it for protestants as well, who tend to read the bible (good!), but don’t seem to meditate on it (which would be better)…
When I was growing up, the Church generally taught that the Church would exist until the world no longer existed. It taught of Matthew 28:20 in this way even though the Greek uses the word ‘age’ instead of world. I believe that the world will continue to exist for a period of time after Christ returns; and that there will be no need for the Church to exist after He returns. Scripture provides much more detail concerning end-time events.
God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil will cause his Bride to come down from heaven; but, is there more than one unleashing of evil after the second coming of Christ? Looks like there will be two before the Bride comes down (cf. Revelation 19:11 thru 20:10).
Ray, Thank you for this: “Saint Francis of Assisi-“There will be an uncanonically elected pope who will cause a great Schism, there will be diverse thoughts preached which will cause many, even those in the different orders to doubt, yea, even agree with those heretics . . .”. I did not know St Francis prophesied about Jorge Bergoglio and his many heretical minions. Also, Our Lady words which you quote are . . . “comforting” is not the right word . . perhaps “encouraging” is, or “invigorating”: “But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near.” I have personally witnessed the power of God twice in the face of evil, and I believe if we do what you say – “We just need to be ready at all times, by living in the state of grace with the Eucharist, Confession, and the daily Rosary” – we will be able, when called to do so, to invoke that power (imperfect as we are) to help get ourselves to heaven and hopefully bring some others with us. Even in these times, which I agree with you surely appear to be the End Times, we can “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). TY, Guy, Texas
“homosexual marriage”
Missed the memo re “judge not that ye be judged”?
The practice of homosexuality is sodomy, and is condemned by God…He will judge you, not me….
Ed:
I don’t usually agree with Ray, but …………
Doesn’t same-sex marriage/unions result in unnatural sexual behavior? Aren’t the participants ignoring one of God’s desire for humans to multiply?
God punished it. Read Genesis 19:1-28. We are reminded of it in the Epistle of Jude. It is described as an unnatural vice with a punishment of eternal fire. Paul also addressed it in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
There are probably other passages of Scripture that could be shared, but let me just ask you a question.
Where is same-sex marriage given the stamp of approval in the Bible?
I’m just curious about those who make such a big deal out of something Jesus never mentioned. But what he did say very clearly was “Judge not…”
And he made a point of hanging out with “social outcasts”…
PS re your warning. Thanks but actually I’m not gay, if that helps. But I wonder about your sexuality Ray. Why focus on that?