Is The Prophecy of Popes Getting Fulfilled Finally?

The Prophecy of the Popes

By Hal Lindsey 

www.hallindsey.com

Almost 900 years ago, Pope Innocent II summoned the Bishop of Armagh, in what is now Northern Ireland, to come to Rome. While there, this Bishop purportedly experienced a vision in which he saw the popes from that time until the end of the Roman Catholic church. He recorded his impression of each of the remaining 112 popes in a series of cryptic phrases.

Today, Saint Malachy's vision is called "The Prophecy of the Popes." Written in 1139, it was rediscovered in the Vatican's archives in 1590.

I do not believe Saint Malachy's predictions rise to the level of the Bible's prophecies in either their detail or accuracy. However, his predictions have been remarkable in their own way and bear relevance to the times in which we live.

You see, Saint Malachy's prophecy seems to predict that the current pope, Benedict XVI, will be the next to last pope of the Roman church. After him will come a pope calledPetrus Romanus, or Peter the Roman. Malachy appears to indicate that he will be the one who cooperates with the Antichrist, then will be turned upon and destroyed by the leader of the confederacy that rises out of the old Roman Empire.

When you consider the fact that Benedict XVI is 85 years old, the world might not have to wait very long to learn if Saint Malachy's final prediction comes true.

And if that's not interesting enough, stir this into the mix. The European Union is virtually teetering on the edge of collapse. I'm sure you've been hearing all the talk about Greece in the news. As I write this, the G20 is meeting to discuss how to rescue Greece from total bankruptcy. Germany is leading the effort to bail out the Greeks because if they fall chances are several other EU nations will follow in short order.

It's gotten so dodgy that some European leaders have turned to China for help.

Alan Greenspan, former Chairman of the Federal Reserve System, recently told CNBCthat the European Union is too big (27 members) to succeed. He noted that the divide, both culturally and economically, between the northern and southern countries of the EU is just too great. He thinks that the only way divergent nations can successfully lump their currencies together is if they are culturally close, like Germany, the Netherlands, and Austria. Otherwise, he said, it just can't work.

Wow, that means the northern nations of the EU should not be tied, currency-wise, to the southern nations of the EU. That could cause a problem since, essentially, it's the northern nations that are having to bail out the southern members. And the citizens of those northern nations are none too happy about that.

Bottom line, of course, is that if the EU can't make it work (and the futility of previous bailouts of several of the EU nations seems to indicate it will not), then there is every chance that the European Union may collapse. Or, it may turn to someone who has the ideas and the leadership to make it work. Or, at least, make a revised form of it work.

Now, consider, too, the fact that the Vatican just recently published a report by the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace. It calls for the establishment of a "global authority" and a "central world bank" to rule over the world's diverse financial institutions. Although this body does not speak directly for Pope Benedict, it carries his authority because the report quotes him extensively.

In fact, in 2009 Pope Benedict issued an encyclical called "Caritas in Veritate." In it, the Pope denounced the capitalist mentality as responsible for the global financial meltdown. He also stated that the world's nations need to transfer part of their powers to a world authority. Then he argued that "there is an urgent need for a true world political authority."

To recap: We have an ancient prophecy -- issued by a Catholic Bishop -- that predicts Pope Benedict XVI will be the next to last pope. It also indicates that the pontiff which follows him will cooperate with the Antichrist, which, in turn will result in "the city of seven hills" being destroyed.

Then, we have the current Pope and leadership of the Roman Catholic church advocating for a global authority to rule over the world's financial institutions. Further, the Pope suggests that there needs to be a single world political authority.

At precisely the same time, the vaunted European Union -- which essentially springs from the residue of the old Roman Empire -- is facing the possibility of imminent collapse. If that were to happen, it would result in either it disappearing from the pages of history or finding new leadership, retooling itself, and rising again to take charge of the chaos enveloping the world in the wake of its first failure.

Now, how can anyone look at this convergence of remarkable circumstances and say that Bible prophecy is just so much hooey? Only a spiritually blind and deaf person could conceivably argue that these are not exciting times in which to live. Especially if you're a believer!

But Europe's not the only place in the world witnessing major movement among end-times players. In the last 10 months, the "Arab Spring" has resulted in a geopolitical shift that has brought the Bible's prophecies concerning the "King of the South" into sharp relief -- no -- into concrete reality. The nations that span northern Africa and extend down the Arabian peninsula are now formally Islamic states or soon will be. They all lie to the 'south' of Israel and, I believe, form the entity that the prophets called the "King of the South" -- referring to one of the four spheres of power that will be involved in the war of Armageddon.

Once again, these remarkable events prove the veracity of God's Word. And that Word also says that before things get too nasty, Jesus Christ will return to receive all true believers unto Himself. And when He calls us up to join Him in the air, He'll be removing from this earth the restraining ministry of the Holy Spirit. And, friends, that's when -- literally -- all hell will break loose upon this world. You do not want to be here when that happens.

Don't wait. If you've never believed and accepted the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ; if you've never received the pardon that He died to purchase for you, do it right now. Accept His free gift of pardon and welcome Him into your life. Trust me. You will never regret it.

Did pope choose name to fulfill prophecy?

www.wnd.com

Catholic scholar: 'Benedict' a reference to protecting Rome from Germans

Rather than purposely choosing the name Benedict to fulfill a 12th-century prophecy about the papacy, the new pope chose his moniker as a reference to sixth-century St. Benedict and his quest to protect Rome from invading German pagans, a Catholic scholar and writer says, claiming the pontiff hopes to protect the modern-day Church from destructive philosophies that originated in Germany.

Mary Jo Anderson told WorldNetDaily she is not impressed with those who point to the prophecy of St. Malachy as having been further fulfilled with the election of Pope Benedict XVI.

As WorldNetDaily reported, Malachy’s prophecy labels the new pope “the Glory of the Olive.” The Benedictine Order, known as the Olivetans, has as its symbol the olive branch. The new pope, though not of that order, chose as his name Benedict XVI.

A Catholic bishop, Malachy was visiting Rome in 1139 when he went into a trance and received a vision, according to his biographer. Malachy wrote down this extraordinary vision in which he claims to have foreseen all of the popes from the death of Innocent II until the destruction of the church and the return of Christ. He named exactly 112 popes from that time until the end of the church.

St. Malachy wrote a few prophetically descriptive words in Latin about each one of the popes. He then gave the manuscript to Pope Innocent II and it was deposited in the Vatican Archives where it was forgotten for several centuries. Then in 1590, it was rediscovered and published.

Scholars have matched up the descriptions with each pope since that time. According to Malachy, there will be only two more popes before the destruction of Rome, including newly elected Benedict XVI.

Anderson described Malachy’s prophecy as “spotty in its accuracy.”

Said Anderson: “There are some [papal prophecies] that are remarkably accurate and others that fell sort of flat, or you really have to twist yourself around to make it work.

“It has purchase power among some Catholics and some evangelicals or prophecy-minded Christians who look with great comfort toward some sort of pointer toward what the future would be.”

Anderson, however, looks at the prophecy “with great caution,” saying Malachy’s purpose in writing was not to look into a “spiritual crystal ball” but rather as a way to point out that “God’s Providence provides the right man at the right moment in church history.”

Said Anderson: “Knowledgeable Catholics put far more credence in the work of the Holy Spirit than they do in anybody’s prophecy,” stressing that the Church does not require its members to believe in any prophecy.

Christian revelation was closed when the Apostle John, who wrote the book of Revelation, died, Anderson asserted. “There will be no new revelation after that,” she said, including prophecies – even those the Catholic Church permits members to follow.

More exciting than a purported fulfillment of St. Malachy’s prophecy, Anderson says, is the reason she believes the new pope chose Benedict XVI as his name.

“The original St. Benedict helped defend Rome against the invading pagan Germanic tribes,” she said. “That’s the real reason. The pope is sending a message to Germany. Where did all the ‘isms’ come from? Nihilism, Marxism, Fascism, socialism.”

In his homily opening the Cardinals’ conclave on Monday, Anderson points out, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a German, mentioned several “isms” that threaten the world and that the church must take a stand against.

“Far more exciting than Malachy’s prophecies is to look into the mind of Ratzinger, which is far more intelligent than a popular prophecy that has been reinterpreted a zillion times,” she said.

“I think this Benedict is telling us, ‘I’m going to defend Rome, i.e., the Roman Catholic Church, from the invading Germanic wrong-headed philosophical threats – all the “isms.”‘”

Catholic website SpiritDaily also mentions the connection to St. Benedict and a spiritual battle, stating, “St. Benedict was constantly assaulted by the evil one but rose above that with the monastic rule of life – just as the former Cardinal Ratzinger will almost surely face a far more open form of crushing evil at a time when there are what the late Pope John Paul II, in one of his very last writings, called ‘dark shadows’ enshrouding the planet.”

Prophecy expert Hal Lindsey, who wrote a column about St. Malachy’s prophecy on April 8, puts more credence in the saint’s pronouncement about the new pope than does Anderson.

“Whatever inspired St. Malachy’s predictions, they continue to be right on,” Lindsey told WND. “The pope’s impact will be very great in setting up the world for the coming Antichrist.”

Lindsey told Joseph Farah on his nationally syndicated radio show today: ” If St. Malachy is right, the glory of the olive will be imprinted on what he [the new pope] does, and secondly, he won’t live very long – because we’re at an advanced stage in Bible prophecy, so he couldn’t live very long. We have to go to the last pope very soon in order to stay current with this prophetic scenario that’s already in place.”

In his column, Lindsey points out that the pope who takes office after Benedict XVI will be, according to Malachy’s prophecy, the final pope before Rome is destroyed.

“I don’t believe [Benedict XVI] will live long, probably about five years,” Lindsey told a caller on Farah’s show. “But he will have an enormous impact. … He will extend the power and influence of the church before he dies.

“And then the 112th pope, who is called ‘Peter the Roman,’ he is the one who is going to play a very clear role [in the End Times scenario].”

The SpiritDaily analysis also points to St. Malachy’s prophecy:

“In the true way that prophecy operates, many expected that, to fulfill Malachy’s prophecy, the next pope would have to be a Benedictine – when in fact it turned out to be a cardinal who meditated in Benedictine monasteries and took the name Benedict!”