The Parallel Deception

 

THE words were clear, intense, and repeated several times in my heart after Pope Benedict XVI resigned:

You have entered dangerous days…

It was the sense that great confusion was going to come upon the Church and the world. And oh, how the past year and a half has lived up to that word! The Synod, the Supreme Courts’ decisions in several countries, the spontaneous interviews with Pope Francis, the media spins… In fact, my writing apostolate since Benedict resigned has been devoted almost entirely to dealing with fear and confusion, for these are the modes by which the powers of darkness operate. As Archbishop Charles Chaput remarked after the Synod last Fall, “confusion is of the devil.”^[1]cf. October 21st, 2014; RNS

And so, I have spent hundreds of hours in my writings and personal communications to encourage you in Christ and His promises that, ultimately, the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. As Pope Francis pointed out:

…many forces have tried, and still do, to destroy the Church, from without as well as within, but they themselves are destroyed and the Church remains alive and fruitful… she remains inexplicably solid… kingdoms, peoples, cultures, nations, ideologies, powers have passed, but the Church, founded on Christ, notwithstanding the many storms and our many sins, remains ever faithful to the deposit of faith shown in service; for the Church does not belong to popes, bishops, priests, nor the lay faithful; the Church in every moment belongs solely to Christ.—POPE FRANCIS, Homily, June 29th, 2015; www.americamagazine.org

But the gates of hell might appear to prevail. Indeed, the Catechism teaches:

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… 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. —Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 677, 675

In The Hour of Lawlessness, I warned that the framework of this “supreme religious deception” is rapidly being put into place. As Monsignor Charles Pope wrote:

Where are we now in an eschatological sense? It is arguable that we are in the midst of the rebellion [apostasy] and that in fact a strong delusion has come upon many, many people. It is this delusion and rebellion that foreshadows what will happen next: and the man of lawlessness will be revealed. —article, Msgr. Charles Pope, “Are These the Outer Bands of a Coming Judgment?”, November 11th, 2014; blog

Some of you might startle at these words, afraid that you might be drawn into this delusion as well. The Lord knows your concerns and heart, which is why I feel His strong hand urging me to write more about this coming deception. It is so subtle, so pervasive, so close to the truth, that once you understand what Satan is trying to achieve, I believe you will gain a strong foothold in the present and coming Storm. For…

…you, brothers, are not in darkness, for that day to overtake you like a thief. (1 Thess 5:4)

 

THE STRONG DELUSION

St. Paul warned of this “strong delusion” that God permits for the obstinate…

…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 Thess 2:10-12)

We have a hint of the nature of this deceiving power in the prophetic book of Isaiah:

Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel: Because you reject this word, and put your trust in oppression and deceit, and depend on them, this iniquity of yours shall be like a descending rift bulging out in a high wall whose crash comes suddenly, in an instant… (Isaiah 30: 12-13)

Who would put their trust in “oppression and deceit”? You would only do so if the oppressor and deceiver seemed as though they were a good thing, a very good thing…

 

COMPETING VISIONS

There are two visions for the future of humanity: one is Christ’s, the other is Satan’s, and these two visions are now entering into a “final confrontation” with one another. The deception is that Satan’s vision looks, in many ways, much like Christ’s.

 

Christ’s vision

Did you know that Jesus also foretold of a “new world order”? Indeed, He prayed for a time when all divisions would end and…

…that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. (John 17:21)

St. John saw this “happy hour” in a vision, a time when Satan would be chained for “a thousand years” and the Church would reign with Christ to the ends of the earth during that time until a final satanic revolt brings about the end of the world. ^[2]cf. Rev 20;7-11 This reign of the “kingdom” is synonymous with the reign of the Church.

The Catholic Church, which is the kingdom of Christ on earth, [is] destined to be spread among all men and all nations… —POPE PIUS XI, Quas Primas, Encyclical, n. 12, Dec. 11th, 1925; cf. Matt 24:14

“And they shall hear my voice, and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.” May God… shortly bring to fulfillment His prophecy for transforming this consoling vision of the future into a present reality… It is God’s task to bring about this happy hour and to make it known to all… When it does arrive, it will turn out to be a solemn hour, one big with consequences not only for the restoration of the Kingdom of Christ, but for the pacification of… the world.  —POPE PIUS XI, Ubi Arcani dei Consilioi “On the Peace of Christ in his Kingdom”, December 23, 1922

Which is why, in St. John’s vision, the “elders” in Heaven exclaim:

You made them a kingdom and priests for our God, and they will reign on earth… they will reign with him for the thousand years. (Rev 5:10; 20:5)

The early Church Fathers understood this to be a “spiritual” reign (not the heresy of millenarianism), ^[3]cf. How the Era was Lost and Millenarianism: What It Is and Is Not and confirmed that this was part of Apostolic teaching:

A man among us named John, one of Christ’s Apostles, received and foretold that the followers of Christ would dwell in Jerusalem for a thousand years, and that afterwards the universal and, in short, everlasting resurrection and judgment would take place. —St. Justin Martyr, “Dialogue with Trypho”, Ch. 81, The Fathers of the Church, Christian Heritage

Those who saw John, the Lord’s disciple, [tell us] that they heard from him how the Lord taught and spoke about these times… —St. Irenaeus of Lyons, Church Father (140–202 A.D.); Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons, V.33.3.4, The Fathers of the Church, CIMA Publishing

This “new world order” would be a time of peace, justice, and harmony among peoples, nations, and even creation itself, centered upon the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus—a vindication of the Word of God over the satanic lie. ^[4]cf. The Vindication of Wisdom As Jesus said,

…this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matt 24:14)

But before that time, Jesus warned that the Church was going to face a great trial, that she would be “hated by all nations”, that “false prophets” would arise and “because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold.” ^[5]cf. Matt 24:9-12

Why? Because the Church will appear to conflict with a “better” vision—Satan’s vision.

 

Satan’s vision

Satan’s plan for humanity was revealed in the Garden of Eden:

…when you eat of [the tree of knowledge] your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil. (Gen 3:5)

The satanic delusion was and is precisely what the Catechism warns: “a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.” We have already seen versions of this false utopia in what Our Lady of Fatima called the “errors” of Russia—Marxism, communism, fascism, socialism, etc. But in these last times, they are combining to form an indomitable Beast who will promise peace, security, and harmony among peoples amid a world torn apart by war, injustice, and disaster. Just as Isaiah prophesied that the nations would put their trust in “oppression and deceit” and even “depend” on it, ^[6]cf. The Great Deception — Part II so too, St. John saw that the world would bow to this Beast:

All the inhabitants of the earth will worship it, all whose names were not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life… (Rev 13:8)

They will worship the “beast” precisely because it looks more like an “angel of light”. ^[7]cf. 2 Cor 11:14 This Beast will save a world self-destructing in revolution by bringing about a new economic system to replace failed capitalism, ^[8]cf. Rev 13:16-17 by forming a new global family of regions to abolish the divisions caused by “national sovereignty,” ^[9]cf. Rev 13:7 by having a new command of nature and ecology in order to save the environment, ^[10]cf. Rev 13:13 and dazzling the world with technological wonders that promise new horizons for human development. ^[11]cf. Rev 13:14 It promises to be a “new age” when humanity will reach a “higher consciousness” with the cosmos as part of the “universal energy” that governs all things. It will be a “new age” when man grasps the ancient lie that he can be “like gods.”

When our founders declared a “new order of the ages”… they were acting on an ancient hope that is meant to be fulfilled. —President George Bush Jr., speech on Inauguration Day, January 20th, 2005

Indeed, the prayer of Jesus was that, through unity, we would come to a state of perfection as a witness to the world:

…that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us… that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. (John 17:21-23)

And thus Satan has promised a false “perfection” as well, primarily to those attempting to bring about this “new age” through the “hidden knowledge” of secret societies:

Among the ancient Greeks, ‘the mysteries’ were religious rites and ceremonies practiced by secret societies into which any one who so desired might be received. Those who were initiated into these mysteries became possessors of certain knowledge, which was not imparted to the uninitiated, and were called ‘the perfected.’ —Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words, W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, William White, Jr., p. 424

We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis and the nations will accept the New World Order. —David Rockefeller, a prominent member of secret societies including the Illuminati, the Skull and Bones, and The Bilderberg Group; speaking at the UN, Sept. 14, 1994

 

COMPETING LANGUAGE

And here, brothers and sisters, is where the parallel deception enters. And I say parallel, because the vision of Christ and Satan, although opposed, actually run parallel to one another in their vision for a new era. Their end is completely different—as different as the moon is from the Sun. For the moon reflects something of the light of the Sun, but falls well short of being a star itself.

Go back to the serpent’s lie in the Garden of Eden. He said “you shall be like gods.” You know, there is some truth to that. We are like gods in the sense that we are immortal. But what Satan said and what he intends are two different things. He is coaxing our world today to become more humane, more ecological, more peaceful, more united, and yes, even more “spiritual”—all fine—but without God. It is…

…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 new “religion” and “ethic” is coming into existence today by embracing and encouraging “love” while rejecting any notion of immutable truth. So on the one hand, the language of tolerance, inclusivity, and love is becoming more prevalent while those who embrace unchanging truths, such as traditional marriage, are deemed intolerant, exclusive, and unloving. In this way, the “old religion” is being slowly exterminated. As Pope Benedict warned:

A new intolerance is spreading… …an abstract, negative religion is being made into a tyrannical standard that everyone must follow. In reality, however, this development increasingly leads to an intolerant claim of a new religion… which knows all and, therefore, defines the frame of reference that is now supposed to apply to everyone. In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Light of the World, A Conversation with Peter Seewald, p. 52

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 CHURCH AND THE NEW ORDER

So why then do we also hear the popes calling for a “new world order”, such as Pope Francis in his recent Encyclical, Laudato si’?

Interdependence obliges us to think of one world with a common plan…. A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems, which cannot be resolved by unilateral actions on the part of individual countries. —Laudauto si’, n. 164

Francis is echoing what his predecessor’s recognized as the emergence of “globalization” and the challenges it presents.

After all this scientific and technical progress, and even because of it, the problem remains: how to build up a new order of society based on a more balanced human relationship between political communities on a national and international level? —POPE ST. JOHN XXIII, Mater et Magistra, Encyclical Letter, n. 212

Many were shocked to hear Pope Benedict XVI calling for a “reform of the United Nations… so that the concept of the family of nations can acquire real teeth.” ^[12]cf. Caritas in Veritate, n. 67; see Pope benedict and the New World Order The teeth of a “beast”?, many wondered aloud. Of course not. For the Vicar of Christ was speaking on behalf of Christ’s vision, not Satan’s—a vision embraced by St. John Paul II as well:

Do not be afraid! Open, open all doors to Christ. Open borders of countries, economic and political systems… —Pope John Paul II: A Life in Pictures, p. 172

But herein lies the difference: a new world order that opens its doors either to Christ, or to the Antichrist. That is, said John Paul II, “Globalization, a priori, is neither good nor bad. It will be what people make of it.” ^[13]Address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, April 27th, 2001

 

THE POPE…?

I’ve received dozens upon dozens of letters from readers deeply concerned about the pontificate of Pope Francis. The concern, they say, is that he seems to be playing into the hands of Satan’s vision for a new world order.

As readers know, I have defended the papacy on numerous occasions for the same reasons St. Jerome did.

I follow no leader but Christ and join in communion with none but your blessedness, that is, with the chair of Peter. I know that this is the rock on which the Church has been built. —St. Jerome, A.D. 396 , Letters 15:2

While Pope Francis’s “off the cuff” remarks are admittedly often without context and seemingly naive in a media-world-with-an-agenda, they are nonetheless orthodox when placed back into context and alongside his formal teachings. Still, some (notably Evangelical and Catholic Christians who study prophecy) are quick to draw the conclusion that Pope Francis is the “second beast” of Revelation—a pseudo-religious leader who deceives the nations. After all, they say, the Pope has called for “one world with a common plan”; he continues to meet with other religious leaders to “dialogue”; he has appointed men to advisory positions with questionable doctrinal positions; he has attacked capitalism; and he has written an encyclical on the environment that one Christian broadcaster lambasted as “leading the world to Gaia worship.”

But then, Jesus Himself prayed for unity; St. Paul met with the pagan leaders of his day; ^[14]cf. Acts 17:21-34 Jesus appointed Judas to be one of the Twelve; the first Christian communities embraced an economic structure based on need and dignity, not profit; ^[15]cf. Acts 4:32 and St. Paul lamented that “creation is groaning” under the weight of men’s sins. ^[16]cf. Rom 8:22 That is to say that Pope Francis, echoing his predecessors, continues to call the Church and the world to Christ’s vision for a new world order—one that includes God.

Humanity is in need of justice, of peace, love, and will have it only by returning with their whole heart to God, who is the source. —POPE FRANCIS, at the Sunday Angelus, Rome, February 22nd, 2015; Zenit.org

We can uncover and expose the Parallel Deception more so by what it excludes than includes. This is critical. For today, the vision of Christ and Satan contain so many similarities, so many mutual truths, that to the undiscerning mind, that which is evil can be construed as good and vice versa. To that end, the term “antichrist” does not mean opposite so much as “other.” Satan does not deny God’s existence in the Garden of Eden, but rather, tempts Adam and Eve to relativize truth. The Great Antidote ^[17]cf. The Great Antidote to this satanic deception is precisely what St. Paul gave after describing the “strong delusion” that would accompany the “man of lawlessness”:

Therefore, brothers, stand firm and hold fast to the traditions that you were taught, either by an oral statement or by a letter of ours. (2 Thess 2:15)</s pan>

That is, remain steadfast in the Barque of Peter holding fast to Sacred Tradition, even if the ship appears to be taking on water… even if its captain, the Pope, at times says things that “rock the boat”. For not everything that comes out of his mouth is infallible. ^[18]Note: one has to differentiate what is teaching of faith and morals, what is the context and authority of the statement, and who is saying it. See also #892 in the Catechism on non-infallible teachings

Case in point is the new Encyclical on the environment in which Francis adds moral support to the science of “global warming.” It was a surprise for many to read, since the science of “global warming” has been fraught with not only contradictions but even fraud. ^[19]cf. “Climate gate, the sequel…”, The Telegraph Furthermore, a member of the Club of Rome was appointed by the Vatican to be an ordinary member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. The problem is that the Club of Rome, a global think-tank, has admitted to using “global warming” as an impetus to reduce the population of the world—part of Satan’s vision for a “new world.”

In searching for a new enemy to unite us, we came up with the idea that pollution, the threat of global warming, water shortages, famine and the like would fit the bill. All these dangers are caused by human intervention, and it is only through changed attitudes and behavior that they can be overcome. The real enemy then, is humanity itself. —Alexander King & Bertrand Schneider. The First Global Revolution, p. 75, 1993.

Still, brothers and sisters, “global warming” is not a matter of faith and morals, not a part of the “deposit of faith.” And so Pope Francis rightly adds:

There are certain environmental issues where it is not easy to achieve a broad consensus. Here I would state once more that the Church does not presume to settle scientific questions or to replace politics. But I am concerned to encourage an honest and open debate so that particular interests or ideologies will not prejudice the common good. —Laudato si’, n. 188

And so, a debate we have.

Popes have made strange alliances in the past—sometimes for good reasons that remained hidden for years—but at the end of the day, the Church and her infallible truths remained long after the players departed this life. And thus, the Petrine promises of Christ shine even brighter, despite the personal fallibility of the pontiffs.

For with the same realism with which we declare today the sins of the popes and their disproportion to the magnitude of their commission, we must also acknowledge that Peter has repeatedly stood as the rock against ideologies, against the dissolution of the word into the plausibilities of a given time, against subjection to the powers of this world. When we see this in the facts of history, we are not celebrating men but praising the Lord, who does not abandon the Church and who desired to manifest that he is the rock through Peter, the little stumbling stone: “flesh and blood” do not save, but the Lord saves through those who are flesh and blood. To deny this truth is not a plus of faith, not a plus of humility, but is to shrink from the humility that recognizes God as he is. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), Called to Communion, Understanding the Church Today, Ignatius Press, p. 73-74

 

SPEAKING TO THE WORLD AT THIS HOUR

Just as Jesus spoke in parables, Pope Francis is purposely setting out to speak to the world, often in their language. This is not compromise, but much the same tactic St. Paul took when quoting the poets of the day to the Romans. ^[20]cf. Acts 17:28

To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews; to those under the law I became as one under the law… To those outside the law I became as one outside the law… To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. (1 Cor 9:20-22)

Just as former popes weren’t calling forth a diabolical new world order, neither is Pope Francis eliciting one of the tenets of Satan’s vision of the New Age: a pseudo-pantheism. The Encyclical Laudato si’ is a biblical call to true stewardship of creation and, in fact, a prophetic vision of what the true Era of Peace will be after the defeat of Antichrist.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them… for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord, as water covers the sea. (Isaiah 11:6-9)

Some concerned Catholics today are contemplating abandoning the Barque of Peter, afraid that the Pope is going to sail her straight into the mouth of the Beast. But to exchange the rock of Christ’s infallible promises for the shifting sands of one’s own “feelings” and calculations is the true danger. For the Great Shaking that is coming to the world is going to sift the faithful from the unfaithful, and everything that has been built on sand will crumble. It is the “labor pains” that eventually give birth to a new era, leaving behind the old wine skin so as to bring the Church into the pinnacle of the fullness of time: Christ’s vision for a new world order: one flock, one shepherd, one family of many nations, cultures, tongues, and races.

That is, a Bride ready to receive her King.

I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb… Amen.”

We implore [Mary’s] maternal intercession that the Church may become a home for many peoples, a mother for all peoples, and that the way may be opened to the birth of a new world. It is the Risen Christ who tells us, with a power that fills us with confidence and unshakeable hope: “Behold, I make all things new” (Rev 21:5). With Mary we advance confidently towards the fulfillment of this promise… —POPE FRANCIS, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 288

 

RELATED READING

• The Coming Counterfeit

• On the coming “parallel communities”: The Coming Refuges and Solitudes

• The Great Deception: Part I, Part II, Part III

• The Spiritual Tsunami

• The Black Ship – Part I

• The Black Ship – Part II

• Antichrist in Our Times

• The Hour of Lawlessness

• The Great Antidote

• A Tale of Five Popes and a Great Ship

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