How does the Catholic Church interpret the End Times?
Thursday, January 26th, 2012 at
12:03 am
I know that the majority of Protestants believe in the rapture. Though I’m curious to know what is the belief of the End Times according to the Catholic Church. I know they do not believe in the rapture or the fictional Left Behind series. Can someone explain to me the Catholic doctrine of the End Times?
Tagged with: Belief • catholic church • catholic doctrine • left behind • left behind series • protestants • Rapture
Filed under: The Antichrist
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The Church’s ultimate trial
675 Before Christ’s second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.574 The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth575 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.576
676 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,577 especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.578
677 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.579 The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven.580 God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.581
* II. TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD
678 Following in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day in his preaching.582 Then will the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts be brought to light.583 Then will the culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God’s grace as nothing be condemned.584 Our attitude to our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love.585 On the Last Day Jesus will say: "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."586
679 Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world. He "acquired" this right by his cross. The Father has given "all judgment to the Son".587 Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life he has in himself.588 By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one’s works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love.589
Matthew 24:36 (NIV Version)
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."
It’s as simple as that.
EDIT: I have added several other Bible translations for everyone else to compare.
Matthew 24:36 (King James Version)
36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:36 (New American Standard Bible)
36"But (A)of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Matthew 24:36 (21st Century King James Version)
36But of that day and hour, knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but My Father only.
Pretty much – that it will happen and that it will be obvious when it’s happeneing. We’re more worried about being prepared for it than we are about when or how it’s going to happen.
Well, you asked.
The end times are going to be bad.
the bible refers to it as the Tribulation.
The so-called "three days of darkness" and other nonsense described by the first poster are NOT part of Catholic teaching. These ideas are from a self-styled "seer" and "prophetess" who has not been approved by the Church. In fact the Church has issued warnings against listening to her. What the Church teaches is simply this – that Jesus Christ will come again in glory at the end of the world. The bodies of the saved will be raised and ascend as He Himself did. The bodies of the damned will likewise be raised and reunited with their souls in hell. All of natural creation, the universe, matter, energy, space and time will then cease to exist. Only eternity will remain.
"But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come." (Mark 13:32-33)
Jesus told us in no uncertain terms that we were not to know when the end of the world would come but that we were always to be ready.
Each new Christian denomination seems to worry about the end of the world a bit too much. Then after a couple of centuries, they realize that there are always wars and rumors of wars, etc.
I won’t even mention the hundreds of false predictions of the end of the world over the centuries, all of which were based on individual interpretations of biblical prophecies.
The first century Christian Church thought that Jesus was going to return at any moment. Only after a couple of centuries did the Church realize that it may be 2,000 or 4,000 or 8,000 years before Jesus returns.
The Catholic Church wisely follows Jesus’ advice and teaches that each of us should live as if we will meet our maker in the next ten minutes and that we need to work to make the world a better place for our 100 X great-grandchildren.
Do not worry about the end of the world. Trust God to make sure everything happens to plan. Just be ready to meet God at any time.
For more information, about what Catholics believe about the end of the world, see: http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0993.asp
With love in Christ.
I perfectly know this:
We Catholics all agree that JESUS will return bodily, after there has been some sort of age long conflict between CHRIST’s People and antichrist. Right thinking Catholics see an era of Christian Victory over all that is antichristian as equalling the Millennium. Some diverge from what the first Fathers taught, saying it is literally true of a period of time, but that it needn’t be literally that amount of time. This is a norrower view than was first established as Catholic in the beginning.
Augustine departed from the literal view of Barnabas, which he once held – likely in being baptised and confirmed he believed this, with the older generation of Catholics which his mother, Monica, belonged to. He then re-interpretted the period of Peace as being the whole Christian era, though this does not match what the Fathers had already said, nor does it match the reality of satan unbound in the world in islam.
St.Patrick knew of no secret rapture, but stressed the Last Day, the only day that the Scriptures absolutely associate with the bodily return of JESUS. Anyone that wishes to learn the whole Catholic eschatology, which I need more space to infold, please contact me at vatrishnai@gmail.com
We believe in a Rapture on the Last Day, after the Millennium, regardless of personal disagreements about what the Millennium is. No Catholic dogma ever contradicted the earliest patristic views on escatology, however private minds look around or through the unchanging Tradition.
Catholic writers have taken an interest in the End Times all through history.
To clarify, though, the end of days are not the whole of the Latter Days. "Latter Dys" refers not to the end of the age, but to all time after a demarcation in time, made by the Advent of JESUS’ Incarnation. All time before are the Former Days, aka BC, and all since the Latters Days, aka AD.
If you would like more answers, consider asking around this site as well…
http://christianforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=26
I have been studying up on the end of times and it is sad for me to say that I will die in the end of times because pal believe or not we all are in the end of times. The horns blowing will pass and man as we know will vanish only those chosen by God will remain I hope I am one of the chosen. I will hate to burn and be punished I love God and all christians alike I made mistakes but I do not want to burn no one wants too. Bless you all during these dark days. I will try to be more friendly and more nice to everyone no matter what. Love you guys. And no I am not psychotic this plea is coming from the heart and for those who are not christians I beg for you to take the lord into your hearts…..
to clarify, the below prophecy HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE CHURCH. It has been prophesied by many Catholic Saints.
The Three Days of Darkness
by Yves Dupont
THE ACT OF GOD
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., Bl.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.)
The Church does not oblige us to believe in any particular prophecy as a matter of faith, 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?
THE PROXIMATE SIGNS
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:
1. Flouting of church laws, irreverence and immodesty in church, fall in attendance at church.
2. Lack of charity towards others, heartlessness, indifference, divisions, contentions, godlessness, pride in human knowledge.
3. Breakdown of family life: immorality, adultery, perversion of youth (e.g. homosexuals giving lectures in schools), immodest fashions (e.g. mini-skirts and hot pants, bikinis and see-throughs), people concerned only with eating, drinking, dancing and other pleasures.
4. 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.)
5. Floods and droughts, crop failures, unusual weather, tornadoes, earthquakes, tidal waves, famines, epidemics, unknown diseases (e.g. new strains of viruses).
THE WARNING AND THE MIRACLE
These will take place between the proximate and the immediate signs. Both will be supernatural occurrences, and the Miracle will closely follow the Warning. There will be a solar prodigy; a Cross will be visible in the sky all over the world. The Warning will be associated with the letter "A"; it will not fall on a Feast day of Our Lady, nor on the l8th of the month.
The Miracle will fall on the Feast day of a young martyr of the Eucharist; this will be on a Thursday evening, and it will coincide with an important Church event.
Since the Miracle is to be seen only in Northern Spain and in Rome, and since the Cross in the sky is to be seen everywhere, it seems that the latter occurrence will take place with the Warning, not with the Miracle. However, the Miracle may also have a Cross in the sky.
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.
Both the Warning and the Miracle 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.
THE IMMEDIATE SIGN
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, poison
The first poster is confusing a so-called prophecy of a period of time in which God is going to "cleanse the earth", not the End Times. I personally have not been able to confirm that any of the saints or holy persons named in regards to such a prophecy actually wrote or said anything about a period of three-days-of-darkness, and the Church has no official teaching of it to my knowledge.
But in answer to your question, if you want to know what the Church actually teaches on the so-called "End-Times" you can simply read about it in the Catholic Catechism. If you don’t want to pick one up somewhere, it is available online at this website http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_INDEX.HTM (Go to Section TWO I. The Creeds, Chapter 2, Article 7 that should pretty much sum it up for you). Hope that helps!