THEOLOGIANS tell us there have been antichrists, but there will be the Antichrist (the angelic doctor St. Thomas Aquinas spells it this way). And drawing from the prophecies of modern and credible Catholic mystics, the coronavirus pandemic has set the stage for his ascent. Yes, in our times, not in the end of the world (which, by the account of the same mystics, is still far off).
Blessed Joachim (died 1202) has prophesied: “Toward the end of the world (not at the end...) Antichrist will overthrow the Pope and usurp his See.” (This was the same prophecy issued only two years ago by Canadian mystic Fr. Michel Rodrigue during his pre-pandemic visit to the US- Ding.)
St. Thomas Aquinas (died 1202) had confirmed that the Antichrist (as against a series of antichrists) would indeed appear as a human in the world. In his Summa Theologica, he said: “Antichrist will pervert some in his day by exterior persuasion...He is the head of all the wicked because in him wickedness is perfect....not indeed in the sense that his humanity is to be assumed by the devil into unity of person...but that the devil by suggestion infuses his wickedness more copiously into him that into all others. In this way all the wicked that have gone before are signs of Antichrist.”
Further, St. Thomas wrote: “As Augustine says, the works of Antichrist may be called lying wonders either because he will deceive men’s senses by means of phantoms, so that he will not really do what he seems to do, or because if he works real prodigies they will lead those into falsehood who believe in him.”
The saint went on to give more details on the prophesied Antichrist: “His miracles may be said to be real...just as Pharaoh's magicians made real frogs....but they will not be real miracles because they will be done by the power of natural causes.”
And here’s from Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser (died 1658): “Antichrist will come as the Messiah from a land between two seas in the East. He will be born in the desert, his mother being a prostitute to the Jews and Hindus. He will be a lying and false prophet and will try to rise to Heaven like Elias.
“He will begin work in the East, as a soldier and preacher of religion when 30 years old. Antichrist and his army will conquer Rome, kill the Pope and take the throne. He will restore the Turkish regime destroyed by the Great Monarch. The Jews, knowing from the Bible that Jerusalem will be the seat of the Messiah, will come from everywhere, and accept Antichrist as the Messiah.
“He will be able to fly. His flight will take place from Mt. Calvary....Antichrist will live 55 and one-half years, that is, 666 months.”
Last June 12, Independence Day in the Philippines, St. Michael the Archangel made a passing mention of the Antichrist in his message to mystic Luz de Maria de Bonilla as follows:
“Beloved People of God: I bless you in the name of the Most Holy Trinity and of our Queen and Mother. This People of God must remain under the protection of the Most Sacred Heart of our King and Lord Jesus Christ. In order to reach such a great goal, humanity’s authenticity is indispensable — instead of the hypocrisy of blanched sepulchers. Few human beings truly examine themselves, seeing their flaws... Few undertake the path of true conversion... Hypocrites abound among the People of God...
“Authentic conversion is urgent, which human beings refuse when they view themselves as ‘gods’ of non-existent virtues and gifts, being puffed up by the falsehood of their human ego. Personal works and behavior are the thermometer that, without any concealment, shouts aloud to you regarding a true interior life that has been infected with the spiritual blindness covering the Earth.
“My Celestial Legions are constantly watching over these human beings who refuse to see themselves truthfully and to take responsibility for their faults... These children of God should pause on their way; otherwise, they will proceed to deliver their brothers and sisters into the hands of the Antichrist.
“People of God, cast off the thirst for revenge that you are holding in your minds, the resentment and envy in your thinking, and the hatred in your hearts. People of God, do not only look at the good in which you believe that you are working and behaving: this is arrogance and pride. This is how ungrateful servants behave: they do not know the King and Lord of Heaven and Earth, due to the gangrene with which their souls have been infected. Because of this, the elements will purify humanity, and the human race, oppressed by its own evil, will see itself from within, by the great Mercy of our King and Lord Jesus Christ.
“People of God, the Devil is not an invention: he exists, he robs you of your peace, he leads you to fight against one another, and he rejoices over this. O foolish creatures, you are making the Devil rejoice!
“Beloved People of God, disease will continue to drag humanity towards ever greater pain. The elite are undermining your health, death is making haste, the earth is unstable, earthquakes are arriving rapidly. Be on alert, humanity – on alert! I have called the People of God to prayer so that every human being would ask for discernment regarding their personal works and behavior, given the proximity of the Warning and the urgency of saving your souls. Beseech the Holy Spirit for the strength necessary in order to continue in faith, given the severe and imminent events that will befall the earth and therefore humanity.
“Give thanks to God, One and Three, the protector of the innocent. Without panicking or falling into despair, the People of God are faithful to God; they walk where God has called them, trusting in Divine protection and Divine provision. My Legions are guarding you so that you would not falter. Be on alert, humanity! Be alert: convert! Do not fear: I am sent by the Most Holy Trinity to protect you for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.”