IS THE NEXT POPE, THE LAST POPE?

by James P. Dawson
http://www.jpdawson.com/lastpope.html

The next Pope will be the last according to the prophecies of St. Malachy. The line of Pontiffs have almost come to an end. Malachy undertook to list in advance the proper succession of Roman pontiffs from Celestine II (1143) to "the end of the world." He did not name them, but revealed the successors under symbolic titles, set down in Latin. His prophecy contained a motto for 111 Popes starting with Celestine II (1143).

St. Malachy's family name was O'Morgair and he was born in Armagh, Ireland, in 1094, more than one thousand years ago. He was baptized as Maelmhaedhoc (this name has been Latinized as Malachy) and he studied under Imbar O'Hagan who later became the Abbot of Armagh. In 1119 he was ordained priest by St. Cellach (Celsus), studied under St Malchus and in 1123 he was elected Abbot of Bangor. A year later he was consecrated Bishop of Connor and in 1132 he became Primate of Armagh. However, according to Bander (18), owing to intrigues, he had to wait two years before he could finally take possession of the See of Armagh; even then he had to purchase the Bachal Isu (staff of Jesus) from Niall, the usurping lay-primate. He died in 1148 at Clairvaux in the arms of St. Bernard. Unlike the life of many saints, that of St. Malachy is well documented because his contemporary, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, acted as his biographer at the request of the Abbot of Mellifont. St. Bernard describes Malachy as distinguished for his meekness, humility, obedience, modesty and as truly diligent in his studies. He also tells us at length of Malachy foretelling the day and hour of his death. The Breviary in its office for the festival of St. Malachy mentions that he was enriched with the gift of prophecy.

The interested reader who wishes to study the life of St. Malachy in greater depth and detail may wish to read any of the numerous life stories which have been written, particularly in the second half of the last century. Therefore it is easy to find some detailed accounts of the Saint's life written in those years. It is believed that Malachy had his visions between the end of 1139 and the beginning of 1140 during his visit to Rome. He committed the visions to paper and handed the manuscript to Pope Innocent II to comfort the Holy Father in his afflictions. Innocent II placed the manuscript in the archives where they remained "unread" for nearly four centuries. This time frame seems quite reasonable since Malachy started his prophecies with Celestine II (1143).

Malachy's prophecies were printed in 1559 by the Benedictine historian Arnold Wion in his book Lignum Vitre, and the battle began over the authenticity and authorship of the prophecies. In the seventeenth century Father Menestrier, a famous Jesuit, claimed the prophecies were written in 1590 by Cardinal Simoncelli to influence the electors in favor of his Cardinal choice for Pope. Cardinal Simoncelli was Bishop of Orvieto, his birthplace, and the motto given to him in the prophecies, Ex antiquitate urbis, is simply an allusion to Orvieto (Latin: Urbs vetus). Fr. Menestrier did not furnish any evidence to substantiate his claim.

The scoffers, begin with the primary objection that these writings were not even "discovered" for some four-hundred odd years after Malachys' death in the year 1148. They object further that he would surely have told somebody about them, at least his good friend St. Bernard of Clairvaux. But, the Vatican records show the prophecies were entrusted to Pope Innocent II in 1140. The reason for Pope Innocent II keeping the documents and not releasing the information is not known. However, the invention of the printing press in 1455 enabled many copies to be distributed, although the Vatican tried to suppress its release. Interest in the prophecies is somewhat cyclical in nature, tending to go up sharply when the reigning pontiff grows extremely old or falls dangerously ill.

Some say that it is easy enough to match up pope and prophetic clue after the fact. The mottos presented by Malachy usually referred to the coat of arms of the pontiff, or to his birth place, or sometimes even his physical actions, and sometimes to major events that occurred during his reign as Pope. When Malachy wrote Bos Albanus in Portu, he was probably referring to Rodrigo Borgia, Alexander VI (1492- 1503), because of "the pope's armorial bearings and his Cardinal titles of Albano and Porto." He also behaved like a bull on more than a few occasions so that the prediction "the Alban bull at the port" is not only literally but allegorically accurate. But the wicked Alexander is grossly obvious; it takes a knowledge of the papacy amounting almost to an obsession to realize that Picus Inter Escas (A woodpecker among the food) was going to turn out to be Nicholas IV. (1) Bander states that during the conclave which was to elect John XXIII, a certain Cardinal from the United States, (Cardinal Spellman of New York) evidently having taken Malachy's forecast that the next pope would be "pastor and mariner" literally, rented a boat, filled it with sheep and sailed up and down the Tiber. Pope John, as bishop of Venice, had the maritime claim nailed down. So there have been attempts by some Princes of the Church to make the motto fit themselves or someone of their choice. This seems to degrade the selection of a new Pope by some placing their own desires above the leading of the Holy Spirit. The prophecies are consistently accurate, as shown from the following examples published in "The Prophecies of St. Malachy."

Pope PIUS VI, -1775 - 1799
Latin motto = PEREGRINUS APOSTOLICUS
Interpreted to mean - The pilgrim pope
Name - GIOVANNI ANNGELICO BRASCHI
Giovanni was born in 1717. He became Papal secretary in 1755 and Clement XIV made him a Cardinal in 1755. After this, he retired to the Abbey of Subiaco (of which he was Abbot) until his election in the same year. He died in 1799.
The legend is usually explained by the well known facts of the Pope's life. His extremely long Pontifical reign had led contemporary writers to refer to him as the Apostolic Pilgrim on Earth.

Pope PIUS VII, 1800 - 1823
Latin motto = AQUILA RAPAX
Interpreted to mean - A rapacious eagle
Name - BARNABA CHIARAMONT
This pope was born in 1740 and his elevation to the Papacy was foretold, as Pius VII himself later related, by his mother, who in 1763 had entered the convent of Carmelites. Pius VI created him a Cardinal in 1786 and the Conclave elected him Pope in 1800. He died in 1823. The Pope's pontificate was overshadowed by Napoleon whose emblem was the eagle.

Pope BENEDICT X V, 1914-1922
Latin motto =RELIGIO DEPOPULATA
Interpreted to mean -Religion laid waste
Name - GIACOMO DELLA CHIESA
Born in 1854 he spent most of his life in the diplomatic service. In 1907 he became Archbishop of Bologna and in 1914 Cardinal and Pope. During the First World War the Pope made many attempts to bring about peace and to relieve suffering. He died in 1922. The years of Pope Benedict's reign were overshadowed by the death of millions of Christians in World War I. 1917 saw the beginning of the Russian revolution which brought about the end of religious life in this formerly most Christian country. Religio Depopulata is one of Malachy's prophecies which has unfortunately been fulfilled true to the letter of the word.

Pope PIUS XI, 1922 - 1939
Latin motto = FIDES INTREPIDA
Interpreted to mean - Unshaken faith
Name - ACHILEE RATTI
Achille Ratti was born in 1857. He was appointed Prefect of the Vatican Library in 1914, Papal Nuncio to Poland in 1919 and Cardinal Archbishop of Milan in 1921. Elevated to the Papa he faced the rise of Fascism and Communism in the Western world. He died in 1939. Recent publications of Vatican documents show the tremendous pressure which was put on this Pope by the dictators of Italy and Germany. Again one could say that it was the Pope's "rides Intrepida" his unshaken faith in what he believed to be right which may have prevented even greater hardship than that which befell the Catholic Church during his reign. His courage at which Hitler sneered and raged and before which Mussolini crumbled; his outspoken criticism against Fascism and Communism which upset the ruthless plans of the dictators, and his unshaken faith, all sustained the Church in a period of the most severe trials. Malachy's description appears to be a most fitting one for Pope Pius XI.

Pope PIUS XII, 1939-1958
Latin motto = PASTOR ANGELICUS
Interpreted to mean - An angelic shepherd
Name - EUGENTO PACELLI
Born in 1876 Eugenio Pacelli spent most of his career in the diplomatic service. From 1917 until 1929 he was Nuncio in Germany and in 1930 he became Cardinal Secretary of State. His elevation to the Papacy in 1939 was a matter of formality because no other person could have followed in the steps of his predecessor more aptly. Pius XII died in 1958. Recent publications, particularly that by Pinchas Lapide ( The Last Three Popes and the Jews, Souvenir Press, 1967) and the publication of the Vatican documents relating to the reign of Pius XII, have given to the world unshakable and irrefutable proof of this Pope's greatness and spirituality. He was in the truest sense of the word an Angelic Pastor to the flock committed to his care, and his flock were all those who suffered. In spite of the defamatory and scurrilous allegations published about him in such contemporary plays as The Representative by Rolf Hochhuth, Pius XII has emerged as one of the great Popes of all time. Although the contents of his visions have not yet become public knowledge there is little doubt that his affinity to the spiritual world was a very real and close one. The description Pastor Angelicus is most apt and one of the most descriptive ones in Malachy's prophecies.

Pope JOHN XXIII, 1958 - 1963
Latin motto = PASTOR ET NAUTA
Interpreted to mean - Pastor and mariner
Name - ANGELO GIUSEPPE RONCALLI
Born in 1881 Giuseppe Roncalli spent many years as Apostolic Delegate and Nuncio in Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria and France. In 1953 he was created a Cardinal and appointed Patriarch of Venice and in 1958 the Conclave elected him Pope. In 1962 he convened the second Vatican Council and his Encyclical Pacem in Terris (1963) is considered one of the greatest documents of our time. He died in 1963. Pope John was the pastor of the world and perhaps more loved by Catholics and non-Catholics alike than any other Pope in history. Malachy's legend Pastor et Nauta points immediately to the See of Venice which indeed he occupied as Patriarch before his elevation to the Papacy.

Pope PAUL VI , 1963 - 1968
Latin motto = FLOS FLORUM
Interpreted to mean - Flower of flowers
Name - GIOVANNI BATTISTA MONTINI
Born in 1897 he worked with his predecessors in the papal Secretariat of State and became Pro-Secretary of State in 1952. He was appointed Archbishop of Milan and Cardinal in 1958. In 1963 the Conclave elected him Pope. Malachy's legend appears to be an obvious allusion to the Pope's armorial bearings which show three fleurs-de-lis. The following four prophecies have still to be fulfilled: He died on August 6, 1978.

When Bander edited the Prophecies of Malachy, Pope Paul VI was still alive and all that was known of the next three Popes were the mottos given by St. Malachy. Bander summarized the comments of the previous writers on Malachy as given below.

(Remember that he and the others were speculating on future Popes. I have filled in the information on the Popes since Paul VI. This information is contained within the brackets in bold print.)

Pope JOHN PAUL I, 1978 - 1978 (34 days)
Latin motto = DE MEDIETATE LUNAE
Interpreted to mean - Of the half moon
Name - ALBINO LUCIANI

(Bander's comments) This may be both an allusion to armorial bearings as well as an indication of some great event concerning those whose religious life is lived under the sign of the half moon. The speculations in which one could engage here are numerous, particularly at a time when the Middle East situation might well prove to be the most dangerous threat to peace in the present times. Such a conflict might well lead to a "Holy War" which would be fought under the half moon and would have devastating effects and repercussions on Muslim and Christians alike.

(Added information - Albino Luciani was born Oct 17, 1912, in Forno di Canale, Italy and died September 28, 1978 in Rome. John Paul I was pope for 34 days, which was the shortest pontificate in modern times. He was the first pope to choose a double name and did so in commemoration of his two immediate predecessors, John XXIII and Paul VI. He was born of a poor family, graduated from the Gregorian University in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1935. He was appointed bishop of Vittorio in 1958, archbishop of Venice in 1969, and a cardinal in 1973. He was elected pope on Aug 26, 1978, the first pope with a pastoral rather than a diplomatic or scholarly background. He died of a heart attack on September 28, 1978.)

Pope JOHN PAUL II, 1978 -
Latin motto = DE LABORE SOLIS
Interpreted to mean - (a) From the toil of the sun (b) Of the eclipse of the sun
Name - KAROL WOJTYLA

Bander indicates that the election of this Pope will probably take place within the next two decades. It is difficult to decide on an interpretation because the two different translations given above allow for two entirely different trends of thought. In the introduction, have already dismissed the possibility of Malachy's legend being a reference to Matthew 24:5-29, and as I have said before, this may well be an allusion to the armorial bearings of the person to be elected. However, in order to interpret Malachy's legend, if it were to be translated "of the eclipse of the sun", I have made some enquiries concerning those full eclipses of the sun between 1970 and 1990 and discovered that there will be sixteen eclipses within those twenty years. Eclipses are far too numerous to exclude ambiguity. The question here would be where this eclipse could be seen. Somehow it is unlikely that the place of the Conclave (Rome) qualifies, because the next eclipse visible in Central and Southern Europe will not take place until the 11th August 1999.

De labore solis allows for more than just these two translations: the laboring sun is a sun that radiates. I do not think that within the next decades the Church will be progressive enough to elect a pope from the African countries which might be yet another explanation. I am therefore convinced there must be a youngish bishop bearing the blazing sun, probably amongst other heraldic devices, in his coat of arms. However, it stands to reason that it will not be the sun but his qualification and piety which will be the decisive factors that cause the Sacred College to elect him as successor to St. Peter.

(Added Information - Karol Wojtyla was born on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland. He is the first non-Italian pope in 456 years. He was ordained on November 1, 1946 and earned a doctorate in ethics at the Angelicum University in Rome. He was made auxiliary bishop in 1958 and Archbishop in 1964 of Krakow and Cardinal in 1967. He was elected the first Polish pope on October 1978. He speaks eight languages and has travel more than any other pope in history.)

Pope ?
Latin motto = GLORIA OLIVAE
Interpreted to mean - The glory of the olive
Name - ?

Olive branch has always been associated with peace and this description might have been most fittingly applied to Pope Pius XII as a reference to his coat of arms. There is little doubt that this legend can be more easily explained in the future than the one before. Some medieval interpreters have gone out of their way to stress that Malachy in his prophecies does not specifically mention that no Popes shall reign between Gloria Olive and the last Petrus Romanus; nor on the other hand does he mention that there will be others.

Note: As stated earlier the original prophecies of Malachy did not contain the Petrus Romanus motto - it was added after the 1820 publication of the prophecies.

The Order of St Benedict has claimed by tradition that this pope will come from within the Order. St Benedict himself has prophesied that before the end of the world comes about, his Order will triumphantly lead the Catholic Church in its fight against evil. The Order of St Benedict is also known as the OLIVETANS, which may well account for another interpretation of the prophecy.

PETRUS ROMANUS

The final legend is self-explanatory and The Prophecies of St. Malachy conclude with this short but fascinating prophecies as follow:

"In the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church there will reign Peter the Roman, who will feed his flock among many tribulations; after which the seven hilled city will be destroyed and the dreadful Judge will judge the people".

Peter Bander's interpretations, are considered as the authoritative version, and he states that one should not "extend to them (the prophecies) the same reverence you may extend to the Gospels." When Peter Bander made his commentary on the prophecies of Malachy, he stated: "What disturbs me and should disturb the reader to an equal degree is that after "Flower of Flowers," that is to say after Paul VI, there are only three more prophecies. Whoever he turns out to be, Petrus Romanus will be the last. Time is running out. It's later than we all think. The end of the world is at hand."

One of the strong objections against the prophecies of Malachy in certain Catholic circles appears to be the fact that among the successive popes mentioned, appear the reference to the antipopes. Although two of them are clearly marked as schismatic, Coruas Schismaticus, the schismatic crow, and Schisma Barchinonicum (he was a Canon of Barcelona), the others take their place among the legitimate popes without any special mention of their peculiar position.

Although the theory that the prophecies of Malachy might be 16th century forgeries has been put forward from time to time, it is of particular interest that one of the most respectable and outstanding historians of the 16th century seems to have accepted them completely.

Onofrio Panvinio, who had fumed down episcopal honors, became corrector and reviser of the Vatican Library in 1556. Most interpreters of Malachy rely on his "Epitome Romanorum Pontificum" when commenting on the first sixty-nine popes on Malachy's list. This book was written in the reign of Pope Paul IV.

Among the 111 (112) Popes mentioned by Malachy are ten antipopes who all fall into the period between Alexander III (1159) and Nicolas V (1447). This alone makes the theory that the prophecies originated in the 16th century unlikely.

Another problem that has been raised in the Catholic community concerns the length of time the Pope serves. They indicate that Popes John Paul I and John Paul II should be considered as one Pope in the prophecies because of John Paul I's short reign as Pope and John Paul II's choice of a name. However, Pope Gregory VIII was Pope for only 27 days and Celestine IV was Pope only 15 days and they are included and counted in Malachy's listing of the Popes.

The problem with the prophecies as listed in The Prophecies of St. Malachy, published by the Thomas A. Nelson, a Catholic Publishing House, is that Malachy's original works listed only 111 Popes, not 112, as given in the TAN version of the prophecies. Sometime between the first and subsequent printings the 112th, Petrus Romanus, was added to Malachy's prophecy.

These prophecies are consistent with a pattern woven from the various saintly prognostications, the sibylline oracles, quasi-secular and folk predictions, and Biblical prophecy. This pattern becomes highly discernible upon a reading of such recent works as The Book of Destiny (1955), Prophecy for Today (1956), Catholic Prophecy (1970), History of Antichrist (1968), The Prophets and Our Times (1943), and The Reign of the Antichrist (1951).

The Prophecies of St. Malachy, in adding weight and credence to the prophecies of St. Malachy, at the same time further develops and enlarges the picture gained from other sources about the times we live in and the events, it would seem, we are about to witness.

Bander added two excellent contributions toward interpreting the last three prophecies, as given above; namely, he has suggested that De Medietate Lunae ("Of the Half of the Moon") could well indicate a Pope reigning during a time of strife with the Moslems; this is exactly the conclusion of Mr. Dupont in Catholic Prophecy (TAN, 1970). Their comments were made almost a decade before John Paul I was elected Pope. His reign was just over a month and during his pontificate Anwar Sadat, the President of Egypt and Menachem Begin, the Prime Minister of Israel, negotiated and signed the Camp David Accords.

These agreements led to a negotiated peace between their two nations, the first between Israel and any of its Arab neighbors. Bander and Dupont were very close in their analysis. If the motto "De Medietate Lunae" is taken literally as "the middle of the month" (John Paul I's reign), then the first event toward peace in the Middle East would apply. The fact that the crescent moon is also in most Arab flags is an added feature that points to the Moslem nations, possibly being involved in the fulfillment of this motto.

In 1856 one interpreter, who signs himself 'a son of St Jarbath', is not quite sure how to translate De labore solis Latin legend. He cannot find any explanation if he were to translate it as 'of the laboring sun', and so he tells us that De labore solis obviously refers to an eclipse of he sun, quoting from Matthew 24:29 "The sun shall be darkened and the moon shall not give her light". Bander discounted he meaning of De labore solis as "of the eclipse of the sun" because there were numerous eclipses during the next 20 years (from his writing in the late 60's) and when one looks at prophecy it appears that many events were required before the Matthew 24:29 event.(11)

However, looking at the interpretation of "of the eclipse of the sun" in today's world environment and at the age and physical condition of Pope John Paul II, the motto takes on new emphasis. John Paul II has been the most active Pope, of any Pope in history, in "his labor under the sun" for the church of. His knowledge of languages and his extensive travel on all continents has reaffirmed the basic Catholic views on abortion, use of contraceptives, divorce, political activities of the clergy and the adherance to celibracy.

It is also interesting to note that there is only one more solar eclipse that will occur in southern Europe during the remainder of this millennium. It occurs on 11 August, 1999.

Also Nostradamus, (9) a sixteenth century seer, in his prophecies predicts:

In the year 1999 and seven months, from the skies shall come an alarmingly powerful king, To raise again the great King of the Jacquerie, Before and after, Mars shall reign at will. Century X, Quatrain 72

The year seven of the great number being past, There shall be seen he sports of he ghostly sacrifice, Not far from the great age of the millennium, That the buried shall come out of their graves. Century X, Quatrain 74

The question is "Does the pontificate of John Paul II continue till August, 1999?"

These predications closely follow the Scripture dealing with the Antichrist and the Second Coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

During this same period a major alignment of the stars, the astrological formation known as the Grand Cross, will occur. Stephen Skinner in his book Millennium Prophecies (10) writes:

"On 18 August 1999 the Sun, Mercury and Venus will be in the zodiacal sign Leo, the Lion with the moon and Mars in Scorpio, the Eagle with Pluto closely alongside in Sagittarius, Jupiter and Saturn in Taurus, the Bull with Uranus and Neptune in Aquarius, the Water Bearer. The four signs in which he planets are quartered are the four beasts of the Apocalypse of St. John, the four heads of the cherubim of Ezekiel, and the four symbols for the so-called four last things."

Professor Hidxeo Itokawa, a Japanese rocket scientist, indicates that this Grand Cross arrangement of planets will cause widespread environmental devastation. He bases this on the results of the alignment of Neptune and Uranus in March 1993 and the occurrence of the "single biggest blizzard storm this century" resulting in the massive floods of the spring of 1993. Do these phenomena play a part in the prophecy of St. Malachy?

Concerning Gloria Olivae ("The Glory of the Olive"), Mr. Bander points out that the Order of St. Benedict is otherwise known as the "Olivetans" and that their tradition holds that this Pope will be of their order. Mr. Dupont's conclusions and those of others, reinforce Mr. Bander regarding the Gloria Olivae, for this would seem to be none other than that miraculously designated Pope who, after a horrible period of world turmoil, will, by his exemplary holiness, convert masses of people and leaders of nations to the Roman Catholic Church. During his pontificate there will be "one fold and one shepherd."(12)

It has also been proposed that the Glory of the Olive is Christ, Israel being referred to as the Olive tree and Christ the Glory of Israel. If this meaning is accepted then the next Pope would be Jesus and he would reign at His second coming. This would negate the idea of Petrus Romanus, but would make the listing of the Popes consistent with the original Malachy prophecies of 111 Popes.

The possible scenarios are:

Scenario I

If the prophecies are as described in The Prophecies of St. Malachy, published by TAN in 1969, which lists 112 mottos for the Popes "to the end of time" are correct. Then John Paul II will be replaced by another Pope whose pontificate will be denominated by the Olive Branch, the symbol of peace. The number of Popes from Gloria Olivae to Petrus Romanus would be unknown. In my opinion this is why the Petrus Romanus was added to the original prophecies of Malachy. This scenario would make the Catholic Church very happy, because it would indicate a continuing future for the Church. But, it negates the original set of prophecies and is not based on Malachy's mottos.

Scenario II

If the original version of Malachy's prophecies are accepted, indicating there are only 111 Popes from Celestine II (1143) to the "end of time". Then this would require that the Gloria Olivae be Christ, since the church considers the last Pope, the head of the church, to be Jesus at His Second Coming. The Scriptures indicate that at the Second Coming, He would put down His enemies and usher in a Millennium of peace. This scenario has some built in problems. Before Christ returns and establishes His Kingdom, before He stands on Zion (13), the seven year tribulation period has to be completed (14). But, before the seven year period begins the Antichrist must come into power (15), after the believers are raptured. (16) At this point the Antichrist establishes the False Church as indicated in Revelation 17. I believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God, I do not have the assurance that the prophecies of Malachy are inerrant or that they were inspired by God. This belief requires that I accept the time frame from the rapture of the believers to Christ's literal return and standing on Zion must be at least 7 years, the tribulation, and that it also involves a probable length of time for the Antichrist to come into power. The Scripture does not give a time frame for the Antichrist's rise to power, but one could assume it to be from 3.5 to 7 years, based on the time frames of the tribulation. Please understand that the seven year time frame is Scriptural but the time for the Antichrist to rise is speculation. In any event, for this scenario to work the present Pope, who is in frail health, must live at least another 10 years.
IS THIS PROBABLE?

Scenario III

One solution that has been proposed is that John Paul I does not count as one of the 111 popes in Malachy's prophecies. This would mean that John Paul II would have the motto De Medietate Lunae and it would indicate the rise of the Islamic nations and their religion during his pontificate. Then there would be two more popes and the entire discussion is delayed until the next pope is identified and the world conditions at his election are known. However, as stated above these short term popes have been counted in the past and this would tend to negate the rational for this scenario. If this scenario is accepted, the prophecies of Malachy does not apply.

Scenario IV

Another possible scenario is quite distasteful to the supporter of the Prophecies of Malachy, but which could meet all of the parameters including the required Scriptural time frames. The many detractors of the prophecies may be right. None of the writings have questioned the source of the information provided to Malachy. For the mottos to have been so accurate, it is necessary for Malachy to receive the information in a supernatural way.

But was it from God or another? Satan has been noted for presenting information that is 98 percent correct, but the remaining two percent leads the recipient astray. When Satan tempted Christ, all the things he promised he could have delivered, he was Prince of this World. It appears that 110 mottos were near perfect in representing their respective popes, but are we misinterpreting the 111th?

We have all looked at the Popes as being Godly men, but could the 111th be something else. We know from Revelation that a well known and recognized religious leader, the False Prophet, is going to point to the Antichrist and tell the world that this man is the savior of the world. He will be imitating John the Baptist and will identify the false Christ.

The Antichrist who has come into power through lying and deceit and working great miracles will claim to be God and will want to be worshipped. He will bring "peace" to the world by ironclad control of religion, Revelation Chapter 17 and the world's economy, Revelation Chapter 18. If the rapture occurs before the Antichrist is revealed (see article on the Rapture of the believers), then all the believers are gone. There is no one left on earth, in any church, that knows Jesus the Christ as his Lord and Savior. We are all gone. This includes the church leaders. The Catholic Church and the other Christian churches will still have many members who have accepted Jesus only in an intellectual since, but not as Lord, and the Antichrist will have a built-in world wide system for economic control, and to establish the false religion. The False Prophet will be a false Pope over a flock of nonbelievers. If the believers including the Catholic hierarchy are raptured, the next head of the "church", the False Prophet, the False Pope, would offer peace to the world, in keeping with the prophecies of Malachy.

The end time events would start and the rapture sequence, Figure 1, would commence. If people accept the prophecies of Malachy as being inspired by God, then they will probably accept the Antichrist as the Messiah. The other occurrences at the turn of the millennium, the eclipse, the Grand Cross, etc. would be in line with the events described in Revelation. Satan through a false prophecy could lead many astray. If this scenario is accepted then the Rapture is tied to the end of John Paul II's pontificate.
IS THIS THE MOST PROBABLE SCENARIO?

SCENARIO V

The most probable scenario is that the original prophecies of St. Malachy (111 popes) are correct and at the passing of John Paul II the college of Cardinals will elect another Pope, who meets the motto Gloria Olivae, and world peace becomes a reality. But from Scripture we know that the believers are taken out, then if this new Gloria Olivae pope is a believer he is gone in the Rapture. This would leave the "churches" without believing leaders. The False Prophet would rise in power and support the Antichrist in his quest for worship. The False Prophet must have world wide acceptance as a religious leader. At this time only the Pope and Billy Graham meet this requirement and both are in poor health. The False Prophet must be physically capable of functioning through the rise of the Antichrist, the tribulation and an additional 995 days, since he is put in the Lake of Fire until after Christ has put down His enemies. (17) The Catholic Church and the other churches, as churches of God would cease to exist. In my opinion the existing infrastructure of the world wide Catholic Church will be the basis of new False Church, Babylon the Harlot. The believers have been raptured.

SCENARIO VI

A possible scenario, but the most distasteful for the Catholic Church, is that the original prophecies of St. Malachy (111 popes) are correct and at the passing of John Paul II the college of Cardinals elects a Pope who is not a true believer and he becomes the false Prophet. This could be devastating to the Catholic believers between the election of the Gloria Olivae Pope and the Rapture. This would indicate that the prophecies of Malachy were not from the Lord. If he (the Gloria Olivae) is a false pope, it will be extremelly detrimental to the marginal or carnal Christians. A large portion of the Catholics (968 million) will accept the Gloria Olivae Pope as the Vicar of Christ andif he is the false prophet, he will turn them to the Antichrist and indicate he (the Antichrist) is the Savior of the world. This would be the False Religion of Revelation 17, Babylon the Harlot.

WHERE DO YOU STAND.

Now that you have read these articles on the web pages, www.aaronc.comand www.jpdawson.com  and seen how God works through individuals, through His creation and nature, through countries and history and how He reveals Himself through prophecy it is time to take a look inside yourself.