Love Grown Cold

THERE is a Scripture lingering on my heart for months now, one I would consider a chief “sign of the times”:

Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. (Matt 24:11-12)

What many people may not connect is “false prophets” with the “increase of evildoing.” But today, there is a direct connection.

False Prophets

Jesus does not define what He means by “false prophet” here, but other texts offer a bit more context.

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. (Matt 7:15)

And again,

False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. (Matt 24:24)

Presently, the greatest context is hindsight. I would argue that the most dangerous false prophets are those that have arisen in recent years: secular messianists who, under the pretext of “healthcare” and “saving the planet” (ie. wolves in sheep’s clothing) have deceived many through the weapon of fear. If you can convince people that they could die from one moment to the next, or that the planet is going to implode any day from “global warming“, then these messianists can wield immense power and control over entire populations. This happened with such ease over the past four years, that one cannot help but return to the seminal speech of Canadian author and prophet, Michael D. O’Brien, to understand what is presently unfolding:

Those who undertake the building of an ideal planetary society… driven by a pride that approaches the level of satanic […] may push onward, imposing the new order regardless of the opposition, dismissing whatever valid arguments the resistance may put forward. And if the resistance is strong, a very big stick will be needed. There will be imprisonment for those who resist (or even dissent from) the perceived “common good.” The new rulers will justify the loss of freedoms by promoting everywhere the illusion that the successful realization of the dream is the highest good, worth any sacrifice. (“It is better that one man should die than the entire nation be destroyed,” said Caiaphas [Jn 11:50]). Translated into modern terms: “It is better that nations should die, and some of their peoples die, than our window of opportunity for global control be lost.” Formed by and living by the deformed ethic of “the end justifies the means”, they will consider themselves to be the true visionaries, the saviours of the world. In a phrase, this is secular messianism. —Michael D. O’Brien, Globalization and the New World Order, March 17th, 2009

O’Brien footnotes to n. 676 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism,especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism.

Even in the coming Era of Peace when the Our Father will be fulfilled and the Church will see His Divine Will reign “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10), creation will still be in a state of journeying; man will still have the capacity to rebel.^[1]cf. After The Thousand Years, there is a final rebellion: cf. Rev 20:7-10 Hence, the utopian transhumanist vision being presented to humanity right now under the banner of the “Great Reset” bears all the hallmarks of an “Antichrist deception.” Several popes, not the least Benedict XVI, said as much:

We see how the power of the Antichrist is expanding, and we can only pray that the Lord will give us strong shepherds who will defend his church in this hour of need from the power of evil. —POPE EMERITUS BENEDICT XVI, The American Conservative, January 10th, 2023

Thus continues O’Brien:

It is in the nature of secular messianists to believe that if mankind will not cooperate, then mankind must be forced to cooperate—for its own good, of course… They must also capture the popular imagination with a new global ethic, one that sweeps aside the protests of those who adhere to traditional morality, consigning us to “the garbage heap of history,” and establishing a dangerously self-righteous moralism in its place (for example, environmentalism as eco-spirituality, or the negation of gender as “liberation”)… G. K. Chesterton once wrote that when men cease to believe in God, they do not then believe in nothing; they will then believe in anything. The imposition of a political new world order in conjunction with a religious new world order has not only the odor of totalitarianism. It has the distinct odor of apocalypse. —Michael D. O’Brien, Globalization and the New World Order, March 17th, 2009

End Result: Love Grown Cold

Not only our communities but many families were torn apart by COVID policies. To this day, some relatives no longer speak to each other. The powerful deception of the secular messianists lay precisely in their hourly message that we must all “do our part” and that “no one will be left behind.” No matter how irrational, unscientific, or experimental their directives were, to resist them was tantamount to being a terrorist of the common good (as obedient news anchors daily reminded us).

Moreover, with the Vatican backing these controversial globalist initiatives (though some bishops have begun to apologize), coupled with the ongoing rankling over the pontificate of Pope Francis in general, divisions have erupted within the pews. And this among faithful Catholics. The Church, whose unity is meant to be a constant source of witness to the world, is in dangerous shambles causing disillusionment and discouragement.

Enter the transhumanist revolution, coupled with artificial intelligence, genetic manipulation of human DNA, and the rejection of biological gender, and we are witnessing “signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect.” At its service are social and news media, which have been crafted into powerful psychological tools to manipulate mankind. Tensions between people are high — evident on social media where the most caustic interactions are taking place. Add into this fray the plague of pornography and the constant elevation of extreme violence as “entertainment.”

All of this has been utterly dehumanizing, and the sum effect of this godless globalization has been a cooling of human relationships: the love of many has grown cold.

The Old and New Testaments prophesy that there will come a time in history when “men’s hearts will grow cold” and they will pursue the eradication of divine authority over humanity, seeking to displace God from his throne, and spreading death throughout the world. In the end, the supposed tolerance of neo-liberalism will reach its limits, and then its true nature will be revealed. They will call evil good, and good evil. They will no longer tolerate what they perceive as the “intolerance” embodied by genuine morality. They will fulfill the prophecy of the ages and wage total war against Christianity. —Michael D. O’Brien, Globalization and the New World Order, March 17th, 2009

The Itty Bitty Path

But there remains a small and narrow road through all of this, one seemingly shrinking by the day, yet indomitable.

How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few. (Matt 7:14)

(In fact, Jesus’ next words then warn of the false prophets in sheep’s clothing!) How does one find this road? How does one enter it? And how does one stay on it?

These are questions I want to address more deeply in the weeks ahead, to help each other remain on this itty bitty but infallible road that Christ has paved with His own blood. The purpose of Jesus’ coming was this:

I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. (John 10:10)

Jesus wants us to fully live, and to experience this divine life in abundance! But how many of us are sad, joyless, even sickly? God wants to heal us. He wants to set us free. He wants us to follow Him on the Way, ultimately, to Heaven — on the itty bitty path of love.

Your Help…

I honestly put the question to Our Lord this summer, wondering if He was still calling me to remain as a “watchman” at this late hour. And the answer has been “Yes.” Will you help me in bringing this Now Word to others? It’s been some time since we’ve arrived at September and our funds almost completely depleted.

Prof. Daniel O’Connor and I also sense the Lord calling us to resume webcasts together to try to provide a voice of balance amidst the growing polarization and extremes. There is more to be said, perhaps not so much about the times — we can all see what is unfolding — rather, how to remain steadfast in our Catholic Faith without falling into the satanic traps that are manifold and drawing Christians into a war, even against each other.

If you are able to support the Now Word, not only by your prayers but by a gift to this apostolate, please click the Donate button below. If possible, would you consider a monthly donation? We are in need of an economical vehicle as well and hope that my aging production computer will last another year. I am so grateful for your help, which remains a great encouragement. In the words of Venerable Rose Hawthorne, “The greatest possible encouragement has been given to me by individuals sending donations — principally small, some large…”

Onward… on the itty bitty narrow road!