Cardinal Manning:
Lecture II: The Antichrist
It is true, indeed, that the Antichrist has had, and may still have, many forerunners, as had also Christ Himself: as Isaac, Moses, Josue, David, Jeremias, were types of the one, so Antiochus, Julian, Arius, Mahomet, and many more, are the types of the other; for persons typify persons. So, again, as Christ is the Head and Representative in which the whole mystery of godliness has been summed up and recapitulated, so also the whole mystery of impiety will find its expression and its head in the person of Antichrist.
He may indeed embody a spirit and represent a system, but is not less, therefore, a person….
Next, the [Church] Fathers believed that Antichrist will be of the Jєωιѕн race…. And this will appear probable, if we consider that the Antichrist will come to deceive the Jews, accenting to the prophecy of our Lord “I am come in My Father’s name, and you receive Me not: another will come in his own name, him you will receive”… The probability of this also will appear, if we consider, further, that a false Christ would fail of the first condition of success if he were not of the house of David; that the Jews are still looking out for his coming; that they have prepared themselves for delusion by crucifying the true Messias; and therefore it is that the Fathers interpret of the true Messias and the false the words of St Paul to the Thessalonians: “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved; therefore God shall send them the operation of error to believe lying” [2 Thess 2:10-11]….
From this we perceive a third character of Antichrist, namely, that he will not be simply the antagonist, but the substitute or supplanter of the true Messias: And this is rendered still more probable by the fact, that the Messias looked for by the Jews has always been a temporal deliverer, the restorer of their temporal order; or, in other words, a political and military prince. It is obvious also, that whosoever may hereafter deceive them in the pretended character of their Messias, must thereby deny the Incarnation, whatsoever claim to a supernatural character he may put forward for himself. In his own person he will be a complete denial of the whole Christian faith and Church; for if he be the true Messias, the Christ of the Christians must be false….
But the prophecies assign to the person of Antichrist a more preternatural character. He is described as a worker of false miracles. His coming is said to be “according to the working of Satan, in all power, and signs, and lying wonders and all seduction of iniquity to them that perish” [2 Thess 2:9-10]…. The age is ripe for a delusion. It will not believe the miracles of the saints, but it will copiously drink down the phenomena of spiritualism….
The last characteristic of which I will speak is more difficult, perhaps, to conceive. St. Paul says of “the man of sin,” “the son of perdition, who opposeth, and is lifted up above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God” [2 Thess 2:4]. These words are interpreted by the Fathers to mean that he will claim divine honors, and that in the Temple of Jerusalem…. [Yet:] As Christ at His coming was believed to be the carpenter, so Antichrist may be visibly no more than a successful adventurer. Even his preternatural character, true or false, may pass either as scintillations of insanity, or as the absurdities of his partisans, or the delusions of his flatterers. So the world blinds its own eyes by the fumes of its own intellectual pride.
It would be more likely (as above) that Bergoglio is anti -John Baptist, a precursor. With the exceptions of traditional catholics, some eastern schismatics and minority of the rest, how many would fall for the worship of the antichrist?
If death jab is any indicator, which is only the fragment of the would be deception -the answer is almost everyone.
Also, jews are expecting to crown him. 2 world wars were fought for the creation of the state of Isreal and final act is needed- the temple. Most prots and Americans for that matter glorify the state of Isreal, and would gladly receive him.
It would take a simple command by Bergoglio to worship him and most novus ordoites would jump on the wagon. Heck, they accepted false worship, false priests and false sacraments for the past 60+ years.
Buddhists wait for maitreya aka "last buddha" -so there is an easy target.
Hindus wait for kalki, "avatar of vishnu" so there is that.
Muslims expect mahdi and "Isa" to work together confirming them in their unbelief against Christians.
Finally, we have multitude of pagans, satanists and everyday commoners who will go with the flow of "unification, prosperity, digital imprint etc."
Although it is possible in God's Providence that even Bergoglio could be the one, I am more inclined to believe what cardinal Manning quotes above which would indicate that Bergoglio would not be the one.
Topic: Sanity vs. Insanity? (Read 10956 times)