Editor’s Note: This article deals with approved Catholic prophecies. Most prophecy falls in the realm of private revelation, which Catholics are not obligated to assent to with divine and Catholic faith. By its nature, prophecy also remains veiled and is usually only fully understood after the fact. We may know what a mystic or saint said, but we rarely have clear certitude as to how it will actually play out. In this article, the author makes the effort to link many prophetic clues in a reasonable and potential scenario. The comment section below provides a forum for readers to raise questions and offer further insights.
Many people are wondering what things will look like when we get back to normal, whatever that may be. However, it would probably be naive to think that the world will go back to operating just like it did before the COVID-19 panic. As Calvin Coolidge said, “The business of America is business” and businesses, together with government officials, are dictating what things are going to look like.
So the face masks, social distancing, temperature checks, restrictions on gatherings, etc. are, to some extent, probably here to stay. Cash transactions have been discouraged in many places. It remains to be seen whether vaccines and contact tracing will be required. Benjamin Netanyahu even threatened to put microchips in Israeli children, but he quickly had to back off. Sweden is chipping people (voluntarily) right now. That tells you what the leaders of the world are thinking – the control of people by a global republic.
For those who are aware of End Times prophecies, a chastisement was expected, even if the form it is taking might have been surprising. Sister Lucia of Fatima once said that the Third Secret has to do with Chapters 8-13 of the Apocalypse of St. John. Chapter 13 contains mention of the Antichrist and the mark of the beast. Even if the Antichrist is not yet in the world, it is possible that he will be born soon given that he will probably be about 30 years old at the beginning of his reign, just as Our Lord was at the beginning of His public ministry.
However the details work out, the prophecies given at Fatima together with other prophecies make it clear that we are now living towards the end of the world and things will not be “normal” until the Lord returns. Two periods of chastisement (the current Minor and future Major Chastisements) with the Era of Peace sandwiched in between are basically what separates us from the Second Coming. None of these events seem aptly described as “normal” from the perspective of past history.
Melanie of La Salette said that Our Lady told her that the Era of Peace would be short: “This peace among men will not be long; 25 years of abundant harvests will make them forget that the sins of men are the cause of all the pains which come upon the earth.” Those years will be enough for one generation of men to grow up who will not have lived through the Minor Chastisement. Conditions during the Era of Peace will make them think that it is “normal” (eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage – Matt. 24:38) when in fact it will be a time on earth unlike anything seen since the Garden of Eden, just before the end of the world.
After that, a “monster” – that is, the Antichrist – will arise. It might take a few years after the end of the good harvests for him to take control. The actual reign of Antichrist will only be three and one-half years, just like the public ministry of Christ, and the return of Our Lord will happen very shortly after that. No 1000-year reign of Christ is coming. Fr. Chad Ripperger, a renowned traditional priest and exorcist, has suggested that persecution of Christians during the reign of Antichrist will be so horrible because there will be very little time left after his reign for anyone to spend in Purgatory.
Two big events separating us from the Era of Peace are the collegial Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the Three Days of Darkness. Venerable Mary of Agreda conveyed the following private revelation:
“I have been informed of a great mystery, which affords us consolation in this conflict of the holy Church against her wicked enemies. Namely, on account of this triumph of most holy Mary and on account of another, which She gained over the demons after the Ascension of our Lord, the Almighty, in reward of her battles, decreed, that through her intercession and virtue all the heresies and sects of the world against the holy Church were to be destroyed and extinguished. The time appointed for this blessing was not made known to me; probably, the fulfillment of this decree is dependent upon some tacit and unknown condition.”
The destruction of “all the heresies and sects of the world against the holy Church” can be expected to happen as a result of the Three Days of Darkness. The “unknown condition” mentioned, upon which the fulfillment of this decree is dependent (and therefore is a precondition), is quite likely the Consecration of Russia, by name, to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Melanie of La Salette also said that Our Lady told her: “Then Jesus Christ, by an act of His justice and His great mercy toward the righteous, will command His angels to put all His enemies to death. At one blow the persecutors of the Church of Jesus Christ and all men given to sin will perish, and the earth will become like a desert. Then there will be peace, the reconciliation of God with men; Jesus Christ will be served, adored and glorified; charity will flourish everywhere.” That makes it sound like the Era of Peace will be brought about largely by the elimination of God’s enemies – an event which one naturally links with the Consecration of Russia and her conversion to the Catholic Faith. Since the Immaculate Heart of Mary will triumphantly reign, it stands to reason that there will be worldwide conversions and a global flourishing of the Catholic Church.
French visionary Marie-Julie Jahenny indicated that the sun will start to turn dark as the Three Days of Darkness are approaching. She said that two days of darkness will happen 37 days before the Three Days. She also said that there will be one day of darkness before that, and also a prior partial day of darkness. So if she is correct, we will have plenty of warning.
Bl. Elizabeth Canori Mora said that a crisis would occur in the Church and would progress to the point where it would seem that the Church had disappeared. This reminds us of Our Lady of Fatima’s dire prophecy that “[i]n Portugal, the dogma of the Faith will always be preserved etc.” but presumably it will be lost in many other parts of the world. Blessed Elizabeth predicts that a small number of lay persons and clergy would defend it against a larger number trying to destroy it by introducing devastating changes. At the peak of the crisis there would be two popes. The true Pope would be forced to leave Rome and would be murdered in exile. Perhaps that happens right after he consecrates Russia? (Pope Pius X said that a Pope would flee Rome who had his same first name – Guiseppe, or Joseph.) Shortly after that, a chastisement (probably the Three Days of Darkness) would be sent to eliminate the enemies of God. The minority of mankind who were left would then be led by a Pope, born near Rome, appointed by St. Peter himself, and known as “Peter the Roman.”
Also, a great French Monarch and a reforming Pope apparently will rule all during the Era of Peace. The Monarch is prophesied to end the French civil war which may start soon. A revolution in Italy is supposed to happen at the same time. Although Russia is foretold to oppose him initially, they will be converted (by the Consecration) and join him to defeat his enemies, who presumably will include the Muslims. There is another prophecy which makes it sound like the defeat of the Muslims and the Three Days of Darkness happen at the same time. All these details seem to fit into the Consecration, conversion of Russia, destruction of God’s enemies, then Era of Peace theme.
So it stands to reason that the Consecration of Russia will occur before the Three Days of Darkness. But it will take many Rosaries in order for the Consecration to happen. The 100-year anniversary of the June 13, 1929 apparition at Tuy, Spain where Our Lady made the request for the Consecration of Russia may be pivotal in that regard.
We cannot expect that human efforts will get us out of the current mess that we are in; we are in need of Divine help. There is no natural solution for the evil and chaos afflicting our world and beloved Church. Only a supernatural solution, the likes of which man has never seen, will be able to restore God’s right order.
So I would suggest that you forget about going back to the way things were before COVID-19. It really was not very good anyway. The panic actually mitigated some bad things like sacrilegious Communions, some abortions, prostitution, making of evil movies, and excessive sports.
What we really need to do is to live our lives according to the Message of Fatima, and pray the Rosary daily to end this current chastisement and prevent future and worse calamities – and ultimately obtain the Era of Peace. At Fatima, Our Lady said that only She can help us. Therefore, we need now the Consecration of Russia to be done in the manner that She requested so that “all the heresies and sects of the world against the holy Church” may be destroyed. That is the only solution!
Editor’s Note: If you are intrigued by this article, you may likewise be interested in Mr. Bermingham’s book, The World from Beginning to End and the Era of Peace. This book provides a fascinating and logical connection of prophetic and historic dots from Adam to the Second Coming and shows how the ‘good versus evil’ theme in human history will most likely play itself out. Having scientific expertise, the author also addresses issues of Faith and reason, and the book serves as a kind of primer for numerous scientific possibilities regarding Creation and the Flood. I appreciate the author’s clear, matter-of-fact, succinct and thought-provoking style of writing. Every reader, even one with a Master’s Degree in Theology, will surely learn new things about the Catholic Faith from reading this book.
His two books, including Creation vs. Evolution, are available at the kolbecenter.org or through Amazon.