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Prophecy is often misunderstood and that only Nostradamus (and the like) are gifted with prophecy, however, in accordance with the Bible, this is not the case. Prophets often called mystics in Catholic circles, continue to receive private messages and warnings and our current world is going through fulfilled prophecy.
The Bible warns of future prophets who will come in the name of Jesus Christ and deliver false messages, work signs and miracle to deceive many. God continues to elect many, even in our modern world, to deliver messages and warnings whom Catholics call mystics and private revelations. Many believe that we are witnessing prophecy unfolding before our very eyes.
The prophets from the Scriptures that the Jewish nation came to understand as prophesying the coming of the Messiah as the hope of their salvation. For those who believed Jesus Christ to be the fulfillment of the Scriptures came to be known as the followers of ‘The Way’, ἡ ὁδός, hē hodos in Hebrew (Acts 9:2) and later in Antioch as ‘Christians’, Χριστιανός, Christianos, in Greek (Acts 11:26; 26:28).
Therefore, for Christians and especially Catholics, the intervening period between the first coming of Jesus born in a stable at Bethlehem to His second coming at the consummation of time, there are many who will come in the name of Jesus and deceive many. However, God in His love for mankind, He elects many men and women to receive prophetic messages of warnings, signs and of hope.
What will be made clear from these prophecies is that Heaven requires our cooperation.
What is the difference between Prophecy and Prophesy?
The word Prophecy appears 173 times in the Douay-Rheims Bible and 179 times in the Revised Standard Versions, Second Catholic Edition.
The word Prophecy in the noun sense is defined as a representative declaration of the mind, will, or knowledge of God; especially concerning past, present, or future manifestations of the outworking of His will or other events.
The word Prophesy as the Verb of the word is to tell, reveal, to speak inspired utterances, behave like a prophet to deliver a prophetic message, either of proper behaviour to a standard, or of future events. Therefore, Prophets are commissioned by God, since Prophecy is God’s message as spoken by God through whom God summons or commissions. The prophets received the divine communication through visions, dreams, and audible encounters or locutions. In turn, they used a variety of means to deliver the Lord’s message, including oracles, sermons, writings, and parables.
What are the types of Prophecy?
There are generally two major categories of divine messages or prophecies. The first is a Prediction, or the foretelling of future events; and the second is the form of an Admonition, that is a firm warning or reprimand and can be either accusatory or exhortation.
Recommended Catholic Bibles, Catholic Resource Website and Outstanding Catholic Research Software:
Who were the Prophets in the Old Testament?
There are four major prophets—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel; and Twelve minor prophets including Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi).
Many would consider Adam, Abraham, Noah, Moses etc., as prophets since they received messages of warning and predictions of future events. According to Catholics (Christians), the greatest and last of all the Prophets appears in the New Testament with John the Baptist (St Matthew 11:13). His greatness is that St John the Baptist is the link from the Old Testament to the fulfillment in the New Testament. St John the Baptist ushers in the coming Messiah (St John 1: 15-33).
What about Prophecy post-Scripture?
The Bible warns that there will be Prophets who will come in the name of Jesus and deceive many called “false” prophets. Therefore, just as there are false prophets, there will be true prophets.
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep,
but inwardly they are ravening wolves” (St Matthew 7:15).
Again, in the First Letter of St John:
“Dearly beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits if they be of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world. By this is the spirit of God known.
Every spirit which confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
And every spirit that dissolveth Jesus is not of God. And this is Antichrist,
of whom you have heard that he cometh: and he is now already in the world” (1John 4: 1-3).
And:
(St Matthew 24: 24-26)
“For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders,
in so much as to deceive (if possible) even the elect. Behold I have told it to you, beforehand.
If therefore they shall say to you, Behold he is in the desert: go ye not out. Behold he is in the closets: believe it not” (St Matthew 24: 24-26).
And similar in Mark 13: 22.
Whether prophecy is Biblical (public) or private (and investigated by the Church to be worthy of belief and authentic) always leads to Jesus Christ.
The Prophet Amos states:
“For the Lord God doth nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets”
(Amos 3 :7).
Are there chosen prophets since the Ascension of Jesus?
God continues to seek out messengers throughout history.
Here are some examples:
- Christian persecutions from 60AD under Nero to the end of persecutions
under Emperor Constantine.
- The major heresy of Arian that taught Jesus was not truly God and truly man. Some 85-90% of the known Church at the time believed in this false teaching. It took the great wisdom, knowledge and understanding of St Athanasius in 325AD at the Council of Nicea to teach the future Christian world that Jesus is Truly God and Truly Man through the Hypostatic Union of His two natures. St Athanasius gave us the Nicean Creed.
- In the 12th century God raised, through the Blessed Mother, Saint Dominic (1170-1221) who gave us the Rosary.
- The 13th century we see the rise of the Scholastics through St Thomas Aquinas, who through his writings and teachings, continues to impact the scholarly world.
Remember Heaven always has other plans and the promise of Jesus at His Ascension into Heaven, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world (St Matthew 28:20).
The Catholic Church and Western Culture has been impacted from the 14th Century to our modern 21st Century.
Catholic culture, norms, customs (morals), thought and reasoning and entire societies would be severely challenged and give rise to the revolts of the 20th and 21st centuries i.e. the sexual revolution and much more.
The rise of the Renaissance meaning “Rebirth” in the 14th Century and lasted well into the 17th Century; the Protestant “Reformation” in the 16th Century; the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution in the 18th Century; the Age of Enlightenment from the 17th and 18th Centuries; Marxism and Darwinism in the 19th Century; and the rise of Socialism, Communism and Fascism in the 20th Century.
All these faces of thought and revolution will challenge the world and the Catholic Church. Through this three part series, we shall see that Heaven has other ideas and continually responds to the threats that Satan, who wages war on God’s people.
Here is one example of how Heaven intervenes”
The Reformation which commenced in 517 brought a destruction of division and revolt against the Catholic Church in Europe. However, Heaven had other planes.
In Mexico where the Aztec Indians would practice the pagan slaughter of innocent children would see a remarkable miracle that resulted in the conversion of approximately 9 million Aztec Indigenous Indians to the Catholic Church.
The Miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe which formed from the Tilma of the Saintly and chosen Saint Juan Diego. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the Unborn and can be seen at the Church built in Our Lady’s honour and at Her request.
The prophecies discussed in parts 2 to 3 of these articles will connect all the prophecies that are relevant to us that date back to the 17th century and highlight the commonalities of their message which are.
- the corruption of customs otherwise known as morals,
- the falling away from the faith by the church, specifically Rome and France,
- that Heaven makes several requests,
- the impending doom that would follow should these requests not be adhered to by the faithful and finally
- the three days of darkness – culminating in a chastisement that would see ¾ of the world’s population disappear due to the disobedience of mankind, however a restoration begins.
God be with you.
