The Black Ship

IT was a dream of the spirit of antichrist. It came to me at the beginning of my ministry in 1994.

I was in a retreat setting with other Christians when suddenly a group of young people walked in. They were in their twenties, male and female, all of them very attractive. It was clear to me that they were silently taking over this retreat house. I remember having to file past them through the kitchen. They were smiling, but their eyes were cold. There was a hidden evil beneath their beautiful faces, more tangible than visible.

The next thing I remember (it seems the middle part of the dream is either deleted, or by the grace of God I cannot remember it), I found myself emerging from solitary confinement. I was taken to a very clinical laboratory-like white room lit with fluorescent lighting. There, I found my wife and children drugged, emaciated, and abused.

I woke up. And when I did, I sensed—and I do not know how I know—I sensed the spirit of “Antichrist” in my room. The evil was so overwhelming, so horrific, so “incarnate”, that I began to sob, “Lord, it can’t be. It can’t be! No Lord….” Never before or since then have I experienced such pure evil. And it was the definite sense that this evil was either present, or coming to the earth…

My wife awoke, and hearing my distress, rebuked the spirit, and peace began to return.

It is only in hindsight that the meaning of the various aspects of this prophetic dream are becoming clearer by the day.

The attractive faces are symbols of moral relativism, veiled in terms such as “tolerance”, “gender equality” and “rights.” On the surface, these faces appear to be reasonable, just, and attractive… but in reality, they undermine the moral and natural law. On the surface, they appear compassionate and disinterested, but underneath, they are intolerant and narcissistic. On the surface they speak of unity and peace, but in truth, their words and actions foment inequality and division. They are, in a word, the faces of lawlessness. The fact that they are taking over the “retreat center” is symbolic of a rising new “religion” displacing the true Faith and silencing those who oppose their agenda (symbolized by solitary confinement).

The New Age which is dawning will be peopled by perfect, androgynous beings who are totally in command of the cosmic laws of nature. 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 fact that we had to file past these young people through the “kitchen” indicates that they had gained control over the basic necessities of life. The “drugging” and artificial light perhaps suggest the timing of the rise of this totalitarian era. Indeed, we are witnessing The Great Poisoning of the planet at an unprecedented and exponential rate—and it’s taking place at the very same time that incandescent bulbs are being phased out for LED lights (which themselves are questionable in their effects upon health).

THREE POPES: ONE ALARM

A few years before his retirement, Benedict XVI warned that…

…an abstract, negative religion is being made into a tyrannical standard that everyone must follow. —Light of the World, A Conversation with Peter Seewald, p. 52

It is essentially a…

…dictatorship of relativism that recognizes nothing as definite, and which leaves as the ultimate measure only one’s ego and desires. Having a clear faith, according to the credo of the Church, is often labeled as fundamentalism. Yet, relativism, that is, letting oneself be tossed and ‘swept along by every wind of teaching’, appears the sole attitude acceptable to today’s standards. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI) pre-conclave Homily, April 18th, 2005

The word “dictatorship” is the accurate one here because, while appearing to be a more open and tolerant society, we are in fact becoming tyrannical. St. John Paul II first sounded the alarm of those ideologues who are beginning to impose their opinions upon the soul of nations.

This is the sinister result of a relativism which reigns unopposed: the “right” ceases to be such, because it is no longer firmly founded on the inviolable dignity of the person, but is made subject to the will of the stronger part. In this way democracy, contradicting its own principles, effectively moves towards a form of totalitarianism. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Evangelium Vitae, “The Gospel of Life”, n. 18, 20

As if cueing us to the proximity of our times to those dramatic events in Scripture that define the end of an era and the long reign of Satan, John Paul II compared our times directly to St. John’s Apocalypse:

This struggle parallels the apocalyptic combat described in (Rev 11:19 – 12:1-6). Death battles against Life: a “culture of death” seeks to impose itself on our desire to live, and live to the full… Vast sectors of society are confused about what is right and what is wrong, and are at the mercy of those with the power to “create” opinion and impose it on others… The “dragon” (Rev 12:3), the “ruler of this world” (Jn 12:31) and the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44), relentlessly tries to eradicate from human hearts the sense of gratitude and respect for the original extraordinary and fundamental gift of God: human life itself. Today that struggle has become increasingly direct. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Cherry Creek State Park Homily, Denver, Colorado, 1993

Pope Benedict also drew a straight line from Revelation 12 to our times:

This fight in which we find ourselves [against]… powers that destroy the world, are spoken of in chapter 12 of Revelation… It is said that the dragon directs a great stream of water against the fleeing woman, to sweep her away… I think that it is easy to interpret what the river stands for: it is these currents that dominate everyone, and want to eliminate the faith of the Church, which seems to have nowhere to stand before the power of these currents that impose themselves as the only way of thinking, the only way of life. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, first session of the special synod on the Middle East, October 10th, 2010

While still a cardinal, Benedict observed how technology has paved the way for totalitarianism and what can rightly be described as The Great Corralling of humanity.

Thus it is that our age has seen the birth of totalitarian systems and forms of tyranny which would not have been possible in the time before the technological leap forward… Today control can penetrate into the innermost life of individuals… — The Instruction on Christian Freedom and Liberation, n. 14; vatican.va

Indeed, it is not only the elimination of the Church that remains a grave concern, but “the very future of the world is at stake,” ^[1]cf. On The Eve he said. Pope Francis explains why:

Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace, but there is no peace without truth! There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth. —POPE FRANCIS, Address to the Vatican diplomatic corps, March 22nd, 2013; CNS

Our world has become like an astronaut untethered from a satellite, drifting directionless into the darkness. There is barely any longer the recognition of moral absolutes. Human life has become, as Francis says, “disposable.” That
which is right has become wrong, and vice versa—and all are being forced to accept these new definitions of marriage, sexuality, of who is worth living and who is not, and the homogenization of cultures.

It is not the beautiful globalization of unity of all Nations, each one with their own customs, instead it is the globalization of hegemonic uniformity, it is the single thought. And this sole thought is the fruit of worldliness. —POPE FRANCIS, Homily, November 18th, 2013; Zenit

Thus, there is little peace in our world because we have rejected truth on a massive scale. Indeed, Pope Francis made the surprising declaration that we have already entered into World War III.

Humanity needs to weep… Even today, after the second failure of another world war, perhaps one can speak of a third war, one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction. —POPE FRANCIS, commemoration of centenial of WWI; Slovenia, Italy; September 13th, 2014, bbc.com

This is why I say that the seals of Revelation are not really God’s chastisement, but man reaping the full harvest of his rebellion. ^[2]cf. The Hour of the Sword Therefore, nationalism is rising in extreme and violent forms as all forms of narcissism, self-centeredness and self-preservation are manifesting in individuals. It is almost impossible to imagine any other generation fitting St. Paul’s description of people in the “end times” more than our own:

…in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

All of this is preparing the world either for a massive revival and return to God… or a massive deception to embrace a satanic “solution” to mankind’s problems. Since we do not presently see the world turning to Christ to heal our sorrows, and in fact, is rejecting Him in His Church, it would seem to be the latter.

Hatred of the brethren makes room next for Antichrist; for the devil prepares beforehand the divisions among the people, that he who is to come may be acceptable to them. —St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Church Doctor, (c. 315-386), Catechetical Lectures, Lecture XV, n.9

And the “son of perdition” will come bringing…

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

Yes, that is the cargo of this Black Ship that has been, till now, sailing almost noiselessly, stealthily alongside the Barque of Peter.
Its great creed, born upon its black flag, is the word “Tolerance.” In contrast, the Barque of Peter makes a great noise, a joyful noise, as it slams through the rough waves that constantly assault her. Emblazoned upon her white and tattered flag is the word “Truth.” Filling her sails is the wind of the Spirit, carrying her beyond impossible horizons… but the Black Ship is propelled by the hot breath of Satan—satanic lies that come like a gentle breeze (all the way from the Enlightenment), but carry the force of a whirlwind…

Thus, here is the “end-game” strategy between these two ships that are sailing parallel to one another:

• The Lord intends one flock, one shepherd; Satan plans one homogenous, androgynous people.

• The Lord is going to bring about unity in the diversity of peoples; Satan wishes to destroy diversity to create uniformity.

• The Lord is planning an “era of peace”; Satan is planning an “age of Aquarius”.

• The Lord will accomplish this through purifying the conscience of His people; Satan promises to lead people to a “higher or altered state of consciousness.”

• The Lord will be worshipped from coastland to coastland in a new era; Satan will force the nations to worship the beast in a new world order.

Of course, I say Satan is “planning”, but only insofar as God allows Him.

Even the demons are checked by good angels lest they harm as much as they would. In like manner, Antichrist will not do as much harm as he would wish. —St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, Part I, Q.113, Art. 4

THE GREAT DECEPTION

Brothers and sisters, Satan has had thousands of years to study human behavior. This is why Christ easily predicted and foretold what these times would look like, now some 2000 years later. It is a Great Deception that has been in the making since the Garden of Eden. It is essentially the perennial temptation for man to become his own god.

I believe Robert Hugh Benson penned it right over a century ago in Lord of the World. He saw a deception coming that was so smooth, so appealing, that even some of the elect would be deceived. Will the world, reeling from nuclear war, natural disasters, economic collapse, and open chaos refuse one who appears to successfully put it all to an end? It may be, as Benson surmises…

…the reconciliation of the world on a basis other than that of Divine Truth… there was coming into existence a unity unlike anything known in history. This was the more deadly from the fact that it contains so many elements of indubitable good. War, apparently, was now extinct, and it was not Christianity that had done it; union was now seen to be better than disunion, and the lesson had been learned apart from the Church… Friendliness took the place of charity, contentment the place of hope, and knowledge the place of faith. —Lord of the World, Robert Hugh Benson, 1907, p. 120

How could this not be a “good”? The answer was given by Pope Francis: there is no peace without truth! That is, it will be a false peace that cannot last, built upon the shifting sands of moral relativism. For always hidden in the seed of falsehood is the kernel of death.

When people are saying, “Peace and security,” then sudden disaster comes upon them, like labor pains upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

A French reader commented on the scene of world leaders joining arms in solidarity against terrorism in Paris.

That something extremely significant is happening here is evident from the mere fact that so many heads of state are converging on Paris to march in defence of… well, just what? An ill-conceived and groundless secular humanism as far as I can see (which is wilfully blind regarding the mire into which secularism has brought Western society) based on vacuous talk of ‘the sacred values of the Republic’ – a cipher for the Enlightenment. —a reader in Paris

Yes, let us not forget that many of these leaders who are saying no to Islamic violence are the same people who are saying yes to abortion, euthanasia, assisted-suicide, explicit sex education, alternative forms of marriage, open borders (ironically), and “just war” for the sake of “national interests” (ie. oil). Not that this public act of courage is without merit. But when we stand for one another without standing on anything, we have clearly begun to board the Black Ship.

[The] New Age shares with a number of internationally influential groups 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

Always hidden in the seed of falsehood is the kernel of death.

Why do you not understand what I am saying? Because you cannot bear to hear my word. You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. (John 8:43-44)

Only reconciliation and harmony with God will bring an end to the long saga of war and misery that man is now inflicting upon himself, and will inflict in exponentially greater degrees in the years ahead, until God is forced to intervene in a decisive manner that will break Satan, and eventually all who persist in serving him. And we can’t—we mustn’t forget—that Heaven is fully engaged in this Final Confrontation. We should not be afraid, but at the same time, fully alert to the strong delusion sweeping through the world at this time. Divine Mercy has many surprises to come. Hope is the domain of the little remnant.

Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy.
—Divine Mercy in My Soul, Jesus to St. Faustina, Diary, n. 300