Everyone will soon be hearing more and more about a 12th-century monk, St. Malachy, to whom prophecies have been attributed that foreshadow the events leading to the end of the world. According to these prophecies, which Malachy allegedly received in 1139, there would be 112 more popes, beginning with the reign of Celestine II in 1143, and at the end of this line of popes would come the destruction of Rome and the end of the world. Pope Benedict XVI is the 111th pope since Celestine II, leading some people to believe that after Benedict’s reign, the end of the world–in whatever way it comes–will be right around the corner.
Trust God, not prophecies
Let’s assume God gave these prophecies to Malachy as an early-warning sign that they had better give their allegiance to Jesus before it’s too late. Just as God had Noah warn the people of his time of the coming flood, they ignored his message, but they couldn’t say they weren’t warned. If Malachy’s prophecies are indeed from God–the test of a true prophet of God is whether or not all of his prophecies come true–what matters isn’t Malachy or any other prophet, but only God, from Whom those prophecies come. If God gave Malachy these prophecies to give the world a warning that the Great Tribulation would soon occur, so that they may prepare themselves spiritually by establishing and strengthening a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, then we would be wise to get right with Him while we still have the chance. What concerns me is that people will start thinking about the end of the world being at hand and fall into a downward spiral emotionally and spiritually. If the end is at hand, and if God is giving us this warning, we would be utterly foolish to not start preparing ourselves now by nurturing our relationship with God through Christ. Start now so that you won’t be unprepared later.
What about the Rapture?
I’m not going to get into debates over the timing of the Rapture, nor will anyone change my mind that the Rapture will not occur until after the Great Tribulation. I think far too many Christians have been putting their hope that they will be raptured before the Tribulation, and so they are not preparing for the possibility that they could be wrong. Our focus should not at all be on the timing of the Rapture–our focus should be on seeking God’s strength for us in Christ so that we can endure no matter what happens.
I imagine that there will be far too many people who’ve been hoping for a pre-Tribulation Rapture and who would be absolutely unprepared spiritually if they are wrong about the timing of the Rapture. If you’re putting off spiritual preparation because you’re gambling that Christians will escape the Tribulation, you’d better hope you’re right.
But what if you’re wrong?
Let me go back to my main point: Don’t put your trust in the timing of the rapture; put your trust in Christ. Those of us who claim to follow Christ are not to put our trust in anything or anyone except Him. If the Lord does not take us home to be with Him until after the Tribulation and we have been betting otherwise, we will be decimated and destroyed unless we put our trust in Him. Now is the time to start bolstering our faith in Him and Him alone, not in the hope that we will escape the Tribulation to come. I address many more points regarding the Tribulation and the timing of the Rapture at PostTribRapture.com. I welcome your feedback and look forward to hearing from you.
Prepare yourself spiritually now so you can stand with Christ later
It doesn’t matter what has happened in your life up to this point, nor how strong–or how weak–your walk with the Lord has been. He gives us right now to come to Him no matter what we’ve done, no matter how far we’ve strayed from Him in the past. (Matthew 18:12-14; Luke 15:1-32; John 6:37)
Demons can give prophecies and do miracles
Some people believe these prophecies were not from Malachy but from Nostradamus–maybe they are, maybe they aren’t. Refer first back to the link above regarding the the test of a true prophet. But second, and more importantly, realize that any involvement in the occult, no matter how minor, is dangerous, deadly and forbidden by God. (Deuteronomy 4:19, 8:9-12, 18:10-12; Jeremiah 8: 1-2, 10:2, 27:9-10; Daniel 2:1-4, 4:7, 5:7-9; 2 Kings 21:1-6; Zephaniah 1:4-6; Job 31:26-28; Isaiah 47:10-14; Micah 5:12; Ezekiel 13:18,20; Acts 8:9-24, 16:16-19; Revelation 9:21, 22:14-15) God condemns sorcery, magic, witchcraft and all other such occultic practices not merely because He hates them–and the Bible is clear that He does–but because they are dangerous. Even Satan can disguise himself as a benevolent “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)–so if we’re trusting in Nostradamus or any other seer, astrologer or fortune-teller, God will give Satan free rein to deceive us, because we will have blatantly disobeyed Him and disregarded what He told us. And we will have nobody to blame but ourselves. (Romans 1:18-32) If you have been involved in the occult, magick, psychic activities or any such thing that God has forbidden, renounce those things, repent from them, rejecting every last bit of influence they have in your life, and turn 180 degrees in the opposite direction to Christ. And never let go of Him.
Don’t bash Catholicism; proclaim the truth in love
I’m willing to bet that in the midst of probably a lot of hype and hysteria concerning these prophecies, a lot of people will feel compelled to bash Catholics, Catholicism, the pope and ever other person or doctrine connected with the Roman Catholic Church. And they will be so busy ranting about what they believe is wrong that they will do absolutely nothing to proclaim the truth of Christ in love. It is not God’s will that ANYONE should be condemned (2 Peter 3:9), even though most will ultimately reject Him and seal their eternal fate. (Matthew 7:13-14) Those of us who claim to be Christ’s followers are commanded to tell others about Him as the only way to get to God, by grace alone through faith in Christ. (Matthew 28:19-20; John 14:6; 1 Timothy 2:5; Ephesians 2:8-9; 1 John 1:8-9) It is our job to proclaim the truth in love to Catholics and to anyone else, so that they may receive the same salvation offered freely by grace to anyone who will receive it. Proclaim the truth in love, and God will take care of the rest.
Persevere in your obedience to God through Christ
I won’t repost this article here for the sake of space, but I strongly urge you to read it and take it to heart to persevere in your obedience to Christ no matter what happens. We are not His followers if we do not obey Him. But He has promised eternal life to those who persevere in following Him. To keep grounded in Him, especially as we will one day be called to account for obeying Him or not obeying Him, we must do what He tells us to do and follow Him no matter what He calls us to do. I hope that this article will encourage and challenge you to pursue Him no matter what it takes or what it costs you. And to trust that He will see you through no matter what happens as you obey Him.
