The Writing on the Wall

Chapter 11

Balthasar the king of Babylon made a great feast for a thousand of his nobles and every one drank according to his age. And being now drunk he commanded that they should bring the vessels of gold and silver which Nabuchodonosor his father had brought away out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem that the king and his nobles and his wives and his concubines might drink from them.

Then were the golden and silver vessels brought which he had taken away out of the Temple that was in Jerusalem, and the king and his nobles, his wives and his concubines drank from them. They drank wine and praised their gods of gold and of silver, of brass, of iron and of wood and of stone.

In the same hour there appeared fingers as it were of the hand of a man, writing over next to the candlestick upon the surface of the wall of the king's palace. And the king beheld the joints of the hand that wrote. Then was the king's countenance changed and his thoughts troubled him and the joints of his loins were loosed and his knees struck one against the other.

And the king cried out aloud to bring in the wise men, the Chaldeans and the soothsayers. And the king spoke and said to the wise men of Babylon. Whosoever shall read this writing and shall make known to me the interpretation thereof shall be clothed with purple and shall have a golden chain on his neck and shall be the third man in my kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men, but they could neither read the writing nor declare the interpretation to the king. Wherewith king Balthasar was much troubled and his countenance was changed and his nobles also were troubled.

Then the queen, on occasion of what had happened to the king and his nobles, came into the banquet house and she spoke and said: O king, live forever! Let not your thoughts trouble you, neither let your countenance be changed. There is a man in your kingdom who has the spirit of the holy gods in him and in the days of your father knowledge and wisdom were found in him, for King Nabuchodonosor your father appointed him prince of the wise men, enchanters, Chaldeans and soothsayers. Your father, I say, O king. Because a greater spirit and knowledge and understanding, and interpretation of dreams, and showing of secrets, and resolving of difficult things were found in him, that is, in Daniel, whom the king named Balthasar! Now therefore let Daniel be called for and he will tell the interpretation.

Then Daniel was brought in before the king. And the king spoke and said to him: Are you Daniel of the children of the captivity of Judah whom my father the king brought out of Judea? I have heard of you, that you have the spirit of the gods and excellent knowledge, and understanding and wisdom are found in thee. And now the wise men the magicians have come in before me, to read this writing, and show me the interpretation thereof, and they could not declare to me the meaning of this writing. But I have heard of you that you can interpret obscure things, and resolve difficult things. Now if you are able to read the writing and to show me the interpretation thereof, you shall be clothed with purple, and shall have a chain of gold about your neck, and shall be the third prince in my kingdom.

To which Daniel made answer and said before the king, Your rewards be to yourself and the gifts of your house give to another. But the writing I will read to you, O king, and show thee the interpretation thereof. O king, the most high God gave to Nabuchodonosor your father a kingdom, and greatness and glory and honour. And for the greatness that he gave to him, all people, tribes, and languages trembled and were afraid of him. Whom he would he slew, and whom he would he destroyed, and whom he would he set up, and whom he would, he brought down. But when his heart was lifted up and his spirit hardened unto pride, he was put down from the throne of his kingdom and his glory was taken away. And he was driven out from the sons of men, and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses, and he ate grass like an ox, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven, till he knew that the most High ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he will set over it whomsoever it shall please him.

You also his son, O Balthasar, have not humbled your heart, whereas you knew all these things, but have lifted yourself up against the Lord of heaven. And the vessels of his house have been brought before you: and you and your nobles and your wives and your concubines have drunk wine from them, and you have praised the gods of silver and of gold, and of brass, of iron, and of wood, and of stone, that neither see, nor hear, nor feel. But the God who has your breath in his hand and all your ways, you have not glorified! Wherefore he has sent the part of the hand which has written this that is set down.

And this is the writing that is written: mane, thecel, phares. And this is the interpretation of the word. Mane: God has numbered your kingdom, and has finished it. Thecel: you are weighed in the balance and are found wanting. Phares: your kingdom is divided and is given to the Medes and Persians. Then by the king's command Daniel was clothed with purple and a chain of gold was put about his neck: and it was proclaimed of him that he had power as the third man in the kingdom. The same night Balthasar the Chaldean king was slain. From the Book of Daniel.

Scott Marshall on Dylan's Prophetic Insights

Another intriguing thing about this interview conducted for Playboy in late 1977 (a magazine not exactly based on a worldview where God reigned) was how Dylan carried around a memory, more than a decade old, that revealed his agitation with the atheistic viewpoint:

"I remember seeing a Time magazine on an airplane a few years back and it had a big cover headline, IS GOD DEAD? [an issue dated 8 April 1966 to coincide cleverly with Easter] I mean, that was...would you think it was a responsible thing to do?" asked a perturbed Dylan.

"What does God think of that? I mean, if you were God, how would you like to see that written about yourself?"

Then Dylan delivered the hammer blow..."You know, I think the country's gone downhill since that day."

"Really? Since that particular question was asked?" asked an apparently surprised Ron Rosenbaum.

"Yeah, I think at that point, some very irresponsible people got hold of too much power to put such an irrelevant thing like that on a magazine when they could be talking about real issues. Since that day, you've had to kind of make your own way."

Asked how we were doing in making our own way, Dylan reminded readers that we're born and we die, and we're concerned with our journey from point A to Z. "But it's pretty self-deluding if you think that's all there is."

In his first encyclical Pacem In Terris, the Pope of 1960 taught among others falsehoods, "All political communities are of equal natural dignity.” He called for a world government, "the establishment of such a world community of peoples being urgently demanded today by the requirements of the universal common good”...“a public authority, having worldwide power.” This is the thinking of the modern times 'Catholic.' The world had spiritually and morally collapsed by '66 because the Church had collapsed during the early '60s.

The 1977 interview showed Dylan had intuited that something had been broken or lost in western civilization and consciousness during the 60s and 70s.

If he had investigated further he would have understood the central factor as the suicide of the Catholic Church at the "ecumenical" Council or Robber Council.

One of the first to realise what had happened was London Times editor John Eppstein in his 1971 book Has the Catholic Church Gone Mad? Another was former editor of The Universe, Piers Compton, in The Broken Cross. In his book of "faction" Windswept House, in its opening pages, the Jesuit Malachi Martin describes a Black Mass involving cardinals and celebrities and a child sacrifice in a secret enthronement of the devil inside the Vatican on 29 June 1963, feast day of Ss Peter and Paul.

Fulton Sheen in his 1948 book Communism and the Conscience of the West, wrote about a plan hatched in windowless houses for trained agents of subversion and perversion to be enrolled into seminaries. With cunning, craft and networking these secret agents rose to the highest levels of authority in the Church.

The book AA1025: Memoirs of an Anti-Apostle describes the same thing. The aim of this ingenious project to end all projects was, in Sheen's words, to "set up a counterchurch which will be the ape of the Church...It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church but in reverse and emptied of its divine content."

When confronted with the facts, the last of the churchgoers were like little children who seeing something frightening pull a blanket over their heads. Out of sight out of mind, out of mind out of existence. The result of this self-afflicted blindness to the duplicity of their feigning fathers was annihilation, if that were possible to say of the Mystical Body, at least of the visible institution which human beings need while we still have physical bodies which we use to commit sin and which we need to sanctify to get to heaven.

Note that Sheen mentions "pre-communist Russian belief." This is an allusion to that much neglected masterpiece by Vladimir Soloviev, The Three Dialogues and the Story of the Antichrist (see review below). This is out of print but the text is available free for the downloading on the internet. Here is an excerpt from Bishop Sheen followed by an introduction to Soloviev.

The Antichrist will not be so called; otherwise he would have no followers. He will not wear red tights, nor vomit sulphur, nor carry a trident, nor wave an arrowed tail as Mephistopheles in Faust. This masquerade has helped the Devil convince men that he does not exist. When no man recognizes, the more power he exercises. God has defined Himself as "I am Who am," and the Devil as "I am who am not."

Nowhere in Sacred Scripture do we find warrant for the popular myth of the Devil as a buffoon who is dressed like the first "red." Rather is he described as an angel fallen from heaven, as "the Prince of this world," whose business it is to tell us that there is no other world. His logic is simple: if there is no heaven there is no hell; if there is no hell, then there is no sin; if there is no sin, then there is no judge, and if there is no judgment, then evil is good and good is evil.

But above all these descriptions, Our Lord tells us that he will be so much like Himself that he would deceive even the elect--and certainly no devil ever seen in picture books could deceive even the elect. How will he come in this new age to win followers to his religion?

The pre-Communist Russian belief is that he will come disguised as the Great Humanitarian; he will talk peace, prosperity and plenty, not as means to lead us to God, but as ends in themselves...The third temptation, in which Satan asked Christ to adore him and all the kingdoms of the world would be His, will become the temptation to have a new religion without a Cross, a liturgy without a world to come, a religion to destroy a religion, or a politics which is a religion--one that renders unto Caesar even the things that are God's.

In the midst of all his seeming love for humanity and his glib talk of freedom and equality, he will have one great secret which he will tell to no one: he will not believe in God. Because his religion will be brotherhood without the fatherhood of God, he will deceive even the elect. He will set up a counterchurch which will be the ape of the Church, because he, the Devil, is the ape of God. It will have all the notes and characteristics of the Church, but in reverse and emptied of its divine content. It will be a mystical body of the Antichrist that will in all externals resemble the mystical body of Christ.

Soloviev Prophet of Our Times

Vladimir Soloviev passed away on 13 August 1900 on the threshold of the 20th century--a century whose vicissitudes and troubles he had foreseen with striking clarity, but also a century, which, tragically, in its historical course and dominant ideologies, would reject his most profound and important teachings. His, therefore, was a teaching at once prophetic and largely unheeded.

At the time of the great Russian philosopher, the general view--in keeping with the limitless optimism of the belle époque--foresaw a bright future for humanity in the new century: under the direction and inspiration of the new religion of progress and solidarity stripped of transcendent elements, humanity would enjoy an era of prosperity, peace, justice, security. The fatuous Victor Hugo proclaimed: "This century was great, the one coming will be happy."

But Soloviev refused to allow himself to be swept up in this desacralized vision. On the contrary, he predicted with prophetic clarity all of the disasters which in fact occurred. As early as 1882, in his Second Discourse on Dostoevsky, Soloviev foresaw--and condemned--the sterility and cruelty of the collectivist tyranny which a few years later would oppress Russia and mankind.

"The world must not be saved by recourse to force," Soloviev said. "One could imagine men toiling together toward some great end to which they would submit all of their own individual activity; but if this end is imposed on them, if it represents for them something fated and oppressive...then, even if this unity were to embrace all of mankind, universal brotherhood would not be the result, but only a giant anthill." This anthill was later constructed through the cruel ideology of Lenin and Stalin.

In his final work The Three Dialogues and the Story of the Antichrist (finished Easter Sunday 1900), one is struck by how clearly Soloviev foresaw that the 20th century would be "the epoch of great wars, civil strife and revolutions." All this, he said, would prepare the way for the disappearance of "the old structure of separate nations" and "almost everywhere the remains of the ancient monarchical institutions would disappear." This would pave the way for a "United States of Europe."

The accuracy of Soloviev's vision of the great crisis that would strike Christianity at the end of the 20th century is astonishing. He represents this crisis using the figure of the Antichrist. This fascinating personage will succeed in influencing and persuading almost everyone. It is not difficult to see in this figure of Soloviev the reflection, almost the incarnation, of the confused and ambiguous religiosity of our time.

The Antichrist will be a "convinced spiritualist," Soloviev says, an admirable philanthropist, a committed, active pacifist, a practising vegetarian, a determined defender of animal rights. He will also be, among other things, an expert exegete. His knowledge of the Bible will even lead the theology faculty of Tubingen to award him an honorary doctorate. Above all, he will be a superb ecumenist, able to engage in dialogue "with words full of sweetness, wisdom and eloquence." He will not be hostile "in principle" to Christ. Indeed, he will appreciate Christ's teaching. But he will reject the teaching that Christ is unique, and will deny that Christ is risen and alive today.

One sees here described and condemned a Christianity of "values," of "openings," of "dialogue," a Christianity where it seems there is little room left for the person of the Son of God crucified for us and risen, little room for the actual event of salvation. A scenario, I think, that should cause us to reflect...A scenario in which the faith militant is reduced to humanitarian and generically cultural action, the Gospel message is located in an irenic encounter with all philosophies and all religions and the Church of God is transformed into an organization for social work.

Are we sure Soloviev did not foresee what has actually come to pass? Are we sure it is not precisely this that is the most perilous threat today facing the "holy nation" redeemed by the blood of Christ--the Church? It is a disturbing question and one we must not avoid. Soloviev understood the 20th century like no one else, but the 20th century did not understand Soloviev. It isn't that he has not been not recognized and honored. He is often called the greatest Russian philosopher, and few contest this appellation. Von Balthasar regarded his work as "the most universal speculative creation of the modern period."

But there is no doubt that the 20th century, as a whole, gave him no heed. Indeed, the 20th century, at every turn, has gone in the direction opposed to the one he indicated. The mental attitudes prevalent today, even among many ecclesially active and knowledgeable Christians, are very far indeed from Soloviev's vision of reality. Among many, here are a few examples: Egoistic individualism, which is ever more profoundly leaving its mark on our behaviors and laws; Moral subjectivism, which leads people to hold that it is licit and even praiseworthy to assume positions in the legislative and political spheres different from the behavioral norms one personally adheres to; Pacifism and non-violence of the Tolstoyan type confused with the Gospel ideals of peace and fraternity to the point of surrendering to tyranny and abandoning the weak and the good to the powerful; A theological view which, out of fear of being labeled reactionary, forgets the unity of God's plan, renounces spreading divine truth in all spheres, and abdicates the attempt to live out a coherent Christian life. In one special way, the 20th century, in its movements and in its social, political and cultural results, strikingly rejected Soloviev's great moral construction.

Soloviev held that fundamental ethical principles were rooted in three primordial experiences, naturally present in all men: that is to say, modesty, piety toward others and the religious sentiment. Yet the 20th century, following an egoistic and unwise sexual revolution, reached levels of permissivism, openly displayed vulgarity and public shamelessness, which seem to have few parallels in history.

Moreover, the 20th century was the most oppressive and bloody of all history, a century without respect for human life and without mercy. We cannot, certainly, forget the horror of the extermination of the Jews, which can never be execrated sufficiently. But it was not the only extermination. No one remembers the genocide of the Armenians during the First World War. No one commemorates the tens of millions killed under the Soviet regime. No one ventures to calculate the number of victims sacrificed uselessly in the various parts of the earth to the communist Utopia. As for the religious sentiment during the 20th century, in the East for the first time state atheism was both proposed and imposed on a vast portion of humanity, while in the secularized West a hedonistic and libertarian atheism spread until it arrived at the grotesque idea of the "death of God."

In conclusion: Soloviev was undoubtedly a prophet and a teacher, but a teacher who was, in a way, to the world he had prophesied, "irrelevant." And this, paradoxically, is why he was great and why he is precious for our time. A passionate defender of the human person and allergic to every philanthropy; a tireless apostle of peace and adversary of pacifism; a promoter of Christian unity and critic of every irenicism: a lover of nature and yet very far from today's ecological infatuations--in a word, a friend of truth and an enemy of ideology. Of leaders like him we have today great need. By Giacomo Biffi.

God's Message To St.Padre Pio

"My son, My son, I have been longing for this hour in which I again shall reveal to you the great love of My heart. My love for man is very great, especially for those who give themselves to Me. They are My refuge and My consolation in the many and terrible irreverences which I receive in the Sacrament of My love. Pray! Pray and make reparation to Me. Admonish others to do the same because the time is near at hand in which I shall visit my unfaithful people because they have not heeded the time of My grace.

Persevere in prayer, so that your adversary shall have no dominion over you. Tell My people to be prepared at all times for My judgement shall come upon them suddenly and when least expected and not one shall escape My hands, I shall find them all! I shall protect the just.

Watch the sun and moon and the stars of Heaven when they appear to be unduly disturbed and restless, know that the day is not far away. Stay united in prayer and watching until the angel of destruction has passed your doors. Pray that these days will be shortened. Again and again I have warned men, and often have I given them special opportunities to return to the right path, but now wickedness has reached its climax and the punishment can no longer be delayed. Even though My heart does suffer and bleed, yet for My Name's sake, I must deal this blow. Tell all men that the time has come in which these things shall be fulfilled.

My beloved, have confidence. I am in the midst of you. My kingdom shall be glorified and My Name shall be blessed from the rising of the sun unto the setting thereof; and to My Kingdom there shall be no end. Pray! Make reparation! Be fervent and practice mortifications. Great things are at stake.

Pray! Men are running toward the abyss of Hell in great rejoicing and merry-making, as though they were going to a masquerade ball or the wedding feast of the devil himself. Assist Me in the salvation of souls. The measure of sin is filled. The day of revenge with its terrifying happenings is near. Nearer than you can imagine. And the world is sleeping in false security. The Divine Judgement shall strike them like a thunderbolt. These godless and wicked people shall be destroyed without mercy as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah of old. Yes, I will tell you, their wickedness was not as great as that of our human race of today.

Keep your windows well covered. Do not look out. Light a blessed candle, which will suffice for many days. Pray the Rosary. Read spiritual books. Make acts of Spiritual Communion, also acts of love, which are so pleasing to Us. Pray with outstretched arms, or prostrate on the ground, in order that many souls may be saved. Do not go outside the house. Provide yourself with sufficient food. The powers of nature shall be moved and a rain of fire shall make people tremble with fear. Have courage! I am in the midst of you.

Take care of the animals during these days. I am the Creator and Preserver of all animals as well as man. I shall give you a few signs beforehand, at which time you should place more food before them. I will preserve the property of the elect, including the animals, for they shall be in need of sustenance afterwards as well. Let no one go across the yard, even to feed the animals--he who steps outside will perish. Cover your windows carefully. My elect shall not see My wrath. Have confidence in Me, and I will be your protection. Your confidence obliges Me to come to your aid. The hour of My coming is near. But I will show mercy. A most dreadful punishment will bear witness to the times.

My angels, who are to be the executioners of this work, are ready with their pointed swords. They will take special care to annihilate all those who mocked Me and would not believe in My revelations. Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth. Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. "An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place. It will begin during a very cold night. All this is to prove that God is the Master of Creation. Those who hope in Me, and believe in my words, have nothing to fear because I will not forsake them, nor those who spread My message. No harm will come to those who are in the state of grace and who seek My mother's protection.

That you may be prepared for these visitations, I will give you the following signs and instructions: The night will be very cold. The wind will roar. After a time thunderbolts will be heard. Lock all the doors and windows. Talk to no one outside the house. Kneel down before a crucifix, be sorry for your sins, and beg My Mother's protection. Do not look during the earthquake, because the anger of God is holy! Jesus does not want us to behold the anger of God, because God's anger must be contemplated with fear and trembling. Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire Earth. Those who suffer and die innocently will be martyrs and they will be with Me in My Kingdom. Satan will triumph.

But in three nights, the earthquake and fire will cease. On the following day the sun will shine again, angels will descend from Heaven and will spread the spirit of peace over the Earth. A feeling of immeasurable gratitude will take possession of those who survive this most terrible ordeal--the impending punishment--with which God has visited the Earth since creation.

I have chosen souls in other countries too, such as Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, who have received these revelations so that other countries also may be prepared. Pray the Rosary, but pray it well, so that your prayers may reach Heaven. Soon a more terrible catastrophe shall come upon the entire world, such as has never been witnessed before, a terrible chastisement never before experienced. How unconcerned men are regarding these things which shall so soon come upon them, contrary to all expectations. How indifferent they are in preparing themselves for these unheard of events, through which they will have to pass so shortly. The weight of the Divine balance has reached the Earth. The wrath of My Father shall be poured out over the entire world.

I am again warning the world through your instrumentality, as I have so often done heretofore. The sins of men have multiplied beyond measure: irreverence in church, sinful pride committed in sham religious activities, lack of true brotherly love, indecency in dress, especially at summer resorts. The world is filled with iniquity.

This catastrophe shall come upon the Earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness. No one shall leave the house or look out of a window from that moment on. I Myself shall come amidst thunder and lightning. The wicked shall behold My Divine Heart. There shall be great confusion because of this utter darkness in which the entire Earth shall be enveloped, and many, many shall die from fear and despair. Those who shall fight for My cause shall receive grace from My Divine Heart; and the cry, "Who is like unto God!" shall serve as a means of protection to many.

However, many shall burn in the open fields like withered grass! The godless shall be annihilated, so that afterwards the just shall be able to start afresh. On that day, as soon as complete darkness has set in, no one shall leave the house or look out of the window.

The darkness shall last a day and a night, followed by another day and a night, and another day--but on the night following, the stars will shine again and on the next morning the sun shall rise again, and it will be springtime!

In the days of darkness, My elect shall not sleep, as did the disciples in the Garden of Olives. They shall pray incessantly, and they shall not be disappointed in Me, I shall gather My elect. Hell will believe itself to be in possession of the entire earth, but I shall reclaim it.

Do you, perhaps, think that I would permit My Father to have such terrible chastisements come upon the world, if the world would turn from iniquity to justice? But because of My great love, these afflictions shall be permitted to come upon man. Although many shall curse Me, yet thousands of souls shall be saved through them. No human understanding can fathom the depth of my love.

Pray! Pray! I desire your prayers. My dear Mother Mary and the saints and holy angels shall be your intercessors. Implore their aid. Be courageous soldiers of Christ! At the return of light, let everyone give thanks to the Holy Trinity for their protection! The devastation shall be very great! But I, Your God, will have purified the Earth. I am with you, have confidence.

Commentary on Three Days of Darkness by Yves Dupont (Melbourne prophet +1979)

The most spectacular aspect of the Act of God will be the three days of darkness over the whole earth. The Three Days have been announced by many mystics, viz., Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi, Padre Pio, Elizabeth Canori-Mora, Rosa-Colomba Asdente, Palma d'Oria, in Italy; Father Nectou, in Belgium; St. Hildegard, in Germany; Pere Lamy, Marie Baourdi, Marie Martel, Marie-Julie Jahenny in France. This list is not exhaustive; many more mystics have announced the Three Days.

Padre Pio and other Catholics eminent for sanctity, have for centuries prophesied the dreadful coming chastisement of the Three Days of Darkness; where at least half to three quarters of the world's population will be killed by God's Just Wrath. The Church does not oblige us to believe in any particular prophecy as a matter of faith [de fide] but we are indeed obliged to believe that prophecies may be made even in our own times, for this is in the Gospel: the Holy Ghost will speak to many in the Latter Days.

Moreover, when an identical prophecy has been made by widely separated people in time and space, when this particular prophecy was accompanied by other predictions which have already come to pass, and when the holiness of the mystics in question has been recognized by the Church, we would be foolish indeed not to believe that the prophecy must come to pass. Such is the case concerning the Three Days of Darkness. How else could we explain that an illiterate peasant woman of Brittany is describing the very thing that another mystic in, say, Germany or Italy is also describing? Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi (19th Century)

After the Three Days of Darkness St.Peter and St.Paul, having come down from Heaven, will preach in the whole world and... designate a new Pope A great light will flash from their bodies and will settle upon the cardinal who is to become Pope. Christianity, then, will spread throughout the world. He is the Holy Pontiff, chosen by God to withstand the storm. At the end, he will have the gift of miracles, and his name shall be praised over the whole earth. Whole nations will come back to the Church and the face of the earth will be renewed. Russia, England, and China will come into the Church.--Prophecy of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi (1769-1837) who was Beatified by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.

Here are the proximate signs in their probable order of occurrence. This, to be sure, is only my own opinion, and I may be wrong for I am no prophet myself; but, after studying a large number of prophecies, this order appears to me to be the most likely:

Flouting of church laws, irreverence and immodesty in church, fall in attendance at church. Lack of charity towards others, heartlessness, indifference, divisions, contentions, godlessness, pride in human knowledge. Breakdown of family life: immorality, adultery, perversion of youth via the media (e.g. homosexuals giving lectures in schools), immodest fashions (e.g. mini-skirts, bikinis, see-throughs), people concerned only with eating, drinking, dancing and other pleasures. Civil commotions, contempt for authority, downfall of governments, confusion in high places, corruption, coups d'etat, civil war, revolution.

The first four proximate signs have already come to pass, at least partly; for we are yet to see civil war and revolution in the West. But the sequence of events is not strictly chronological; there is room for some overlapping. Thus, the 5th proximate sign seems to have begun also. Floods and droughts, crop failures, unusual weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, famines, epidemics, unknown diseases (e.g. new strains of viruses). This will take place between the proximate and the immediate signs. It will be a supernatural occurrence.

During the Warning, everyone will be made aware of his/her own sinfulness, and many will wish to die, but the Warning itself will be completely harmless. The Warning must be viewed as the last act of mercy from God, a final appeal to mankind to do penance before the three days of darkness and the destruction of three-quarters of the human race. At a time when the murder of unborn babies and the sin of Sodom and Lesbos have become respectable and sometimes legal, we should not wonder why God is going to punish mankind. By that time, war and revolution will have already caused a high deathtoll, and Communism will be victorious, but all this will be as nothing compared with the deathtoll caused by the Three Days.

It will be a bitterly cold winter night in the Northern hemisphere. Presumably, a very cold summer night in Australia or, by contrast, a torrid night. The wind will howl and roar. Lightning and thunderbolts of an unprecedented magnitude will strike the earth. The whole earth will shake, heavenly bodies will be disturbed. This will be the beginning of the Three Days. Every demon, every evil spirit will be released from hell and allowed to roam the earth. Terrifying apparitions will take place. Many will die from sheer fright. Fire will rain forth from the sky, all large cities will be destroyed, poisonous gases will fill the air, cries and lamentations everywhere. The unbelievers will burn in the open like withered grass. The entire earth will be afflicted; it will look like a huge graveyard.

As soon as you notice that bitterly cold night, go indoors, lock all doors and windows, pull down the blinds, stick adhesive paper on vents and around windows and doors. Do not answer calls from outside, do not look at the windows, or you will die on the spot: keep your eyes down to make sure you do not see the windows; the Wrath of God is mighty and no one should attempt to behold it. Light blessed wax candles; nothing else will burn, but the candles will not be extinguished once lit. Nothing will put them out in the houses of the faithful, but they will not burn in the houses of the godless. Sprinkle holy water about the house and especially in the vicinity of doors and windows: the devils fear holy water. Bless yourself with it and anoint your five senses with it: eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hands, feet, and forehead. Keep on hand a sufficient supply of drinking water and, if possible, food also. But you can live without food for three days. Kneel down and pray incessantly with outstretched arms, or prostrate on the floor. Make acts of contrition, faith, hope, and charity. Above all say the Rosary and meditate on the Sorrowful mysteries.

Some people, especially children, will be taken up to Heaven beforehand to spare them the horror of these days. People caught outdoors will die instantly. Three-quarters of the human race will be exterminated--more men than women. No one will escape the terror of these days.

Blessed Anna-Maria Taigi stated in regards to this terrible Three Days of Darkness Chastisement: "God will send two punishments: one will be in the form of wars, revolutions and other evils; it shall originate on earth. The other will be sent from Heaven. There shall come over the whole earth an intense darkness lasting three days and three nights. Nothing can be seen, and the air will be laden with pestilence which will claim mainly, but not only, the enemies of religion. It will be impossible to use any man-made lighting during this darkness, except blessed candles. He, who out of curiosity, opens his window to look out, or leaves his home, will fall dead on the spot. During these three days, people should remain in their homes, pray the Rosary and beg God for mercy. All the enemies of the Church, whether known or unknown, will perish over the whole earth during that universal darkness, with the exception of a few whom God will soon convert. The air shall be infected by demons who will appear under all sorts of hideous forms."

But, when all seems lost and hopeless, then, in the twinkling of an eye, the ordeal will be over: the sun will rise and shine again as in springtime over a purified earth. Some nations will disappear entirely, and the face of the earth will be changed. There will be no more Big Business and huge factories which sap men's souls. Craftsmanship will revive, and assembly lines will give way to the working bench. People will return to the land, but food will be scarce for about three years. Married women will bear many children, for it will be regarded as a disgrace not to have children--no more "career women" addicted to the Pill. Unmarried females, there will be many, will enter the religious orders and form large congregations of Nuns within the reborn Church. Disease will decrease dramatically, and mental illnesses will be rare, for man will have retrieved his natural environment. It will be an age of faith, true brotherhood between neighbors, civil harmony, peace, and prosperity. The land will yield crops as never before. Police will have little work to do: crime will disappear almost entirely. Mutual trust and honesty will be universal. There will be little work for lawyers, either. All the manpower which is currently taken up by the wickedness of the modern world will be released and available for the production of useful commodities. Thus, prosperity will be very great. This wonderful period will probably last 30 years approximately.

As soon as you see the sun rise again at the end of the Three Days, drop to your knees and give thanks to God. Be warned, spread the message, but do not fear: it would be an offense to God to show lack of confidence in His protection. Those who spread the message will be protected, but the scoffers, the skeptics, and those who dismiss the message because they are frightened, will not escape the chastisement. Spread the message. Remain in the state of grace. Go to Mass, and regularly receive Holy Communion. Say your rosary every day. Obtain some wax candles and have these blessed by a Traditionalist priest. Do not buy ordinary white candles; they are not made of bee's wax. Do not trust either a "new-breed" priest to bless your candles. Pray for the liberty and exultation of the True Church. Say the prayer to St.Michael which His Holiness Pope Leo XIII composed after witnessing a terrifying vision of Satan's power. Wear the Brown Scapular and the miraculous medal. Deny yourself some legitimate pleasures and entertainment; many of the holy individuals who have predicted this chastisement, insist on this. Eat sparingly, frugally, to sustain life more than to gratify the palate. When the proximate signs are over, ie, war and revolution culminating in the victory of communism, when you behold the Warning, then store up food, drinking water, blankets and other necessities.

There are Catholics who have abandoned their faith because Rome has apostatized. But all this was prophesied. You don't jump from the frying pan into the fire. Henry Edward Cardinal Manning, in The Present Crisis of the Holy See, in 1861, wrote: "The apostasy of the city of Rome from the vicar of Christ and its destruction by Antichrist may be thoughts so new to many Catholics, that I think it well to recite the text of theologians of greatest repute. First Malvenda, who writes expressly on the subject, states as the opinion of Ribera, Gaspar Melus, Biegas, Suarrez, Bellarmine and Bosius that Rome shall apostatise from the faith, drive away the Vicar of Christ and return to its ancient paganism...Then the Church shall be scattered, driven into the wilderness, and shall be for a time, as it was in the beginning, invisible hidden in catacombs, in dens, in mountains, in lurking places; for a time it shall be swept, as it were from the face of the earth. Such is the universal testimony of the Fathers of the early Church."

Similar Warning Given to Sister Agnes Sasagawa at Akita, Japan

The message given at Akita Japan on 13 October 1973, the anniversary of the miracle of Fatima seen by 70,000 including the press: "Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father...In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming calamities by offering Him the sufferings of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him and form a cohort of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger...If men do not repent and amend their lives the Father is going to inflict a terrible chastisement on all of mankind. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as no one has ever yet seen. A fire will fall from heaven and will annihilate a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain to you then will be the Rosary and the sign which the Son has left. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and the priests. The action of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their conferees; churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who will accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. He will rage especially against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of human souls makes me sad. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them."