Some of the attacks on the holy Catholic Church and Her divine Faith are based in bad eschatology. Recently, some persons have claimed that Pope Francis is either the Antichrist, or the false prophet associated with the Antichrist, or (as Vigano has it) a preparation for the Antichrist. Others have cited the prophecy at La Salette, that Rome will lose the faith and become the Seat of the Antichrist, as a way to sow distrust of “Rome” in the sense of the Roman Pontiff and his See. Then there are similar claims regarding the Church. Some claim that in the End Times, the Church will be led astray or taken over by the Antichrist. And many different false private revelations have messages along these lines, causing the weak in faith to distrust the Pope and the body of Bishops.

One of the cornerstones of these eschatological attacks on the Faith is the claim that the Antichrist is in the world today, or that he will arrive soon. That is not possible. I’ve described the outline of events in the End Times many times before. Briefly:

True Eschatology

In World War 3, the first Seal of the seven Seals, the Muslim extremists conquer Europe and a vast territory. In World War 4, the sixth of the seven Seals, the great Catholic monarch frees Europe and conquers the entire territory formerly held by the extremists, including their own lands. After the end of the first part of the tribulation, the great Catholic monarch rules over that vast territory, for about 25 years.

So the first part of the tribulation must occur before the second part of the tribulation, and the Antichrist’s reign is only in the second part of the tribulation. Then, between the two parts of the tribulation (or End Times), there is a long inter-tribulation period.

The first four Seals of the seven Seals are the four horsemen of the apocalypse. This has not happened yet. The fifth Seal is a great martyrdom of Christians, a Christian Holocaust, which has not happened yet. And then the sixth Seal, World War 4, is an all-out nuclear war — which leads to a nuclear winter (as one of the seven Trumpets into which the seventh Seal is divided). This has not happened yet.

Another two of the seven Trumpets of the Seventh Seal occur when many pieces of a broken comet strike the earth, and one large piece of that comet strikes the ocean. And the fifth and sixth Trumpets are supernatural events, one in which something like “locusts” torture those who lack the Seal of the Living God, given out after World War 4, and the other is the Three Days of Darkness. These events clearly have not happened yet.

Then the four beasts of Daniel rise out of the sea. This means that four great kingdoms rise up out of the great sea of peoples in the world. The four kingdoms, one after another, dominate the world:
1. The kingdom of the great Catholic monarch, and his divided kingdom after he resigns
2. Russia, which rises to world domination, as forewarned at Fatima, causing much harm
3. The Alliance of Four: China, India, Africa (except the northern part), and one other region
4. The kingdom of the ten kings, which includes all nations

As each kingdom rises and falls, much time passes. The kingdom of the ten kings begins in the 24th century, the 2300s A.D. The calendar used by most of the world will change during the inter-tribulation period, but these dates that I give are from the currently-used A.D. calendar (the Gregorian system).

When the great Catholic monarch resigns, people worry that the next ruler of that great kingdom will have too much power. So the kingdom is divided. This must be. The northern division (Europe) later becomes the kingdom of the North within the kingdom of the ten kings. The southernmost part of the great Catholic monarch’s kingdom (northern Africa, the Middle East, the holy Land) becomes the kingdom of the South in the kingdom of the ten kings. These two will be at war for centuries, prior to and during the kingdom of the ten kings (see Daniel 11). As a result, they become the two most powerful kingdoms of the ten.

The Antichrist is born in the latter part of the 24th century (2300s AD), and he takes power in the early 25th century AD. He rises to power as the king of the North (Europe), consolidates power in a series of internal battles, and then makes war against the Christian king of the South. The kingdom of the South will have the greatest number of faithful persons in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. It is only due to the power of that kingdom in the world that the other kingdoms refrain from wiping all religion from their kingdoms. The South makes treaties and alliances with other kingdoms, to protect religion in the world, though only to a limited extent.

The Antichrist defeats the Christian king of the South via betrayals, leaving the two most powerful militaries in the world largely intact. Now the Antichrist controls the two most powerful of the ten kingdoms. This destroys the balance of power that had prevailed for about a century (24th century to early 25th century). It also opens the way for the supporters of the Antichrist to attack the Catholic Church, long the object of their hatred. As soon as the Christian king of the South is defeated, all protections for religion worldwide fall. Then the followers of the Antichrist kill the Roman Pontiff of that time (called “Antipas” in Revelation), and destroy the Vatican City and the churches of Rome of that time.

Then the other 8 kingdoms of the world are fearful. The Antichrist controls the two most powerful militaries. So the next two most powerful militaries, of Africa and of China — which retain much power having formerly been the dominant superpower in the world as the two main parts of the Alliance of Four (the other two parts being weaker) — try to defeat him with deceitful negotiations. They fail, as the Antichrist has the help of the devil. The Antichrist defeats them by betrayals. So now the Antichrist controls the four most powerful militaries (and kingdoms) of the ten kingdoms. The other six cannot oppose him, so they submit to his authority, and he proclaims himself to be god.

Then the Antichrist makes Rome to be the Seat of authority in his false religion, while Jerusalem becomes the Seat of worship in his false religion. At first, all the houses of worship in the world, except one at Jerusalem and one in Rome, are closed. All religions are made illegal, except the religion of the Antichrist. And he tries to cause the world to worship him.

This fails. Good persons are willing to worship the good God. Evil persons are not willing to worship anything but themselves (the self-idolatry that is found in greed, lust, pride, hatred, etc.). So even the evil persons in the world fight against the Antichrist, and only at best pretend to worship him.

Then the false prophetess, an apostate Catholic, the Jezebel and harlot of Revelation, suggests to the Antichrist that he devise a formal structure for his religion, a type of false Church patterned after the religions of the world, especially Catholicism. Then all the houses of worship are reopened, to use in the Antichrist’s false religion, which includes only 6 false sacraments. The abomination of desolation is a perverse imitation of the Eucharist. When this begins, the two prophets of Revelation, Enoch and Elijah, suddenly appear on earth and preach against this false religion.

These things have not happened yet. Enoch and Elijah only appear midway through the Antichrist’s reign. The false prophetess is a woman — for sinful secular society has long wanted women religious leaders, especially a woman Pope. But the false prophetess is not a Pope over the Catholic Church, which she and the Antichrist hate. Rather, she is the leader of his false religion, analogous to a Roman Pontiff. Then the religion of the Antichrist, in order to induce evil persons to worship him, preaches in favor of all manner of grave sins: sexual sins, murder, theft, greed, hatred, revenge, etc. Those who excel in this religion are given legal permission to commit these grave sins. And no one can buy or sell unless they accept the Mark of the Beast. This is not a vaccine, nor a microchip. It is a literal mark on the right hand or forehead. What type of mark and where it is located indicates one’s level within this evil society, with leaders having the mark on the forehead, rather than on the hand. To receive the Mark, one must swear a blasphemous oath against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, and as if the Antichrist were god.

These things have no happened yet. The Antichrist will not rule in secret. He will rule over all of Europe first, then win a war with the region that was formerly the southernmost part of the great Catholic monarch’s kingdom. So before all these things can happen, there must be the first part of the tribulation, and then the inter-tribulation period.

So the Return of Jesus the true Christ cannot occur until all of the above things happen, and not until after the end of the Antichrist’s reign.

False Eschatology

The Church is truly indefectible. The gates of Hell and even the kingdom of the ten kings and the kingdom of the Antichrist cannot prevail over the Church. The Antichrist fails to destroy the Church. The faithful of the world continue to oppose the Antichrist throughout his reign. Then he falls from power, and he and the false prophetess are sent to Hell. It is never the case that the Antichrist or the false prophetess rules over the Catholic Church. It is never the case that the body of Bishops go astray.

{12:4} And his tail drew down a third part of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth.

Only one third of the Catholic Bishops of the world go astray during the Antichrist’s reign. And that is the worst time for the Church. So the body of Bishops, the Roman Pontiffs in succession without exception, and the Church Herself are each and all indefectible.

False eschatology is used to sow doubt and fear in the minds and hearts of those who are weak in faith. It is used to cause Catholics to reject the teachings and guidance of the Popes and Bishops. It is used to cause the faithful to adhere to various self-appointed leaders, who attack the Roman Pontiff, Bishops, and Magisterium so that people will listen to them instead of to the Church.

Understanding the above true eschatology helps to fend off the false claims of the papal accusers and all those, in any generation, who seek to undermine or destroy the indefectibility of the Pope, the Bishops, and the Church Herself.

Ronald L. Conte Jr.