| | Pope on a Rope
(or in a Nutshell, anyhow)
I just had this HUGE desire to say 'Pope on a Rope', that's all. ((grins)) Couldn't help it. It was a LONG town day yesterday. ((mirthful laugh)) And I'm drained. Totally. Don't even know why. ((yawn!)) OTOH, there is a blog to be written... so with all of the shtuff going on with da Pope, I thought it might be a good idea to talk about the signficance of shtuff. Not that we haven't talked about him before... I've written A LOT about Catholicism, but we need a Pope Summary, of sorts, don'tcha think? I'll link to my previous shtuff, if you want more info, but here's the nitty-gritty on the situation.
History. This ain't a'gonna be boring. Frankly, what happened was that the early Christian churches each had a 'bishop'... a leader. The Bishop in Rome felt he was bigger and better than everybody else, and so he basically declared himself 'head bishop' over the others. Originally there wasn't one 'head' of the Church - other than God. God, the head, and the bishops overseeing the groups of believers in different localities. This guy got too big for his britches, and took the 'head' position. Which is reason #1 true believers should have a problem with this man. He has been declared 'universal primate' (?!?), infallible (without sin), and elevated above all men. Red flags, all.
Caesars & Rome. Now you have to realize that this big-wig who appointed himself over the other bishops had a problem. Because to be 'head of the church' is a huge position of power... and in Rome. What else was in Rome? The seat of the Roman Empire... the Caesars. THEY wanted the power. So when Babylon was conquered, Julius Caesar (et tu, Brutae) took the crown of the high priest of the Babylonian pagan religion for himself. The title of the Babylonian high priest was 'Ponifus Maximus' - which, btw, is the Pope's official title. As for J.Caesar, he wanted religious power as well as diplomatic and military power. He was Pontifus Maximus, but there was that Roman Bishop dude raining on the Caesar parade...
Whoredom. That's what the Bible calls it when His people Truth is 'joined' with pagan lies. Thyatira is the end product. So when the Christians gained popularity with the Roman government (starting with emperor Constantine), it was the 'natural' thing to 'compromise' and to mix the two. After all, the meaning of the word 'Catholic' is 'Universal' - so the 'Catholic' church is the 'Universal' church... and that meant making one universal belief system out of the two that coexisted now in Rome (which is why I attest that the Babylon references in Revelation are meant for Rome - Babylon is fallen, but moved to Rome. So when it falls again, it will be Rome that falls.) Thus, 'Pontifus Maximus' became the title of the head of this new 'universal' church... and this is when they began mixing Ishtar with Passover to get Easter, Mithras with Succoth to get Christmas... they're half-breeds. Do you see it? What a freakin' mess!! Wierd teachings began to surface - the EuChrist (which is the literal re-sacrificing of Christ, who is called down from Heaven to embody the wine/bread), the Confessional (which was a way of weeding out those who did not agree with this 'unification' of 'churches' during the inquisition... if you have to confess your beliefs/sins/etc to a priest, the priest knew who was traitor to the papacy... and you were murdered) Nevermind that the Bible says Christ was made mediator between God and man...
The Dark Ages. They call them dark because the church didn't want people to know the Truth of the scriptures, so the easiest way was to make them dumb and dependant. They read the scriptures TO the people - the subjects weren't allowed to know how to read, and were definitely not allowed to have the scriptures themselves. It was a time of ignorance, put upon the people by the 'church'. None of this was what was intended by Christ, the apostles, or the Word of God. Ever. This continued until 1611, when King James of England commissioned godly men to translate the Word of God for the people, so that everyone might be able to read it, and learn the Truth. The King James Version of the Bible was the result.
St. Malachay. About this time, a prophet emerged from within the 'church'. His name was Malachay. He predicted a list of 112 popes, all the way to the end of the world. He didn't give names, but identified them with a singular phrase that described this person. Many people don't believe him, but I've not heard where his predictions have ever been proven wrong, and so I'm personally open to God working thru this man. Some of the phrases were interestingly accurate, too. For instance of Pope Innocent XI, (1676-1689) Malachay wrote "Bellua Insatiabilis", that is, "An insatiable beast." History records that Innocent was never "sine Cibo", that is, he was never without food. Our current pope is "labor of the sun" - he was born during a solar eclipse. What are the chances?! Again, I don't know if he's a false prophet or not, but so far, I haven't heard about any false predictions (unlike Nostradamus, who was only right 30% of the time.)
Glory of Olives. According to Malachay, there are two popes left after JPII (our current pope). Gloria Olivae is next - "The Glory of Olives". Scholars speculate that this means he will be of Jewish descent - because the Bible refers to Israel as 'the olive tree'. It could mean anything - that the man likes olives, that he has an olive grove... we don't really know. The Benedictines - an order of Catholics - hold that this guy will come from their ranks. Others say that this is a reference to the pope who sees the Trib, because Jesus prophesied about it in his Olivet discourse on the Mount of Olives. We dunno. Ironically, two of the candidates lined up come from Jewish blood - Ratzinger, and Anize. Ratzinger is *really* liberal (left-leaning)... I believe he's German. Anize is African and many want him in because he's a man of color. Ironically, he is hugely into Mariology (the worship of Mary) and has stated on more than one occasion that Jesus is not the only way to Heaven. It will be interesting to see who gets in. There are over 120 cardinals who vote.
Interim Popes. The 'church' has kind of a tradition - to have an 'interim' pope between the longer-lasting popes. The dude before JPII was only pope for 3 weeks. JPII has been pope for 27 years - the third longest in history. There's a LOT of talk of appointing an 'interim' pope between JPII and the last pope. I don't know what they plan to do. But I do know one thing - JPII is very aware of the prophecies of Malachay, and the 'interim' tradition. Should he die and a short termer be appointed, we could see the last pope THIS YEAR. Which is part of the reason a lot of people believe JPII isn't giving up the papacy... why he's holding on as long as he possibly can. He's afraid, and is trying to delay the inevitable. If this is so, it's kind of interesting!
Peter the Roman. After "Gloria Olivae" is "Peter the Roman". This is what Malachay predicted about "Peter the Roman" - 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. Some things to note: This guy will be in charge during the 'final persecution' of the church. Another reason to believe we're about at the end. AFTER WHICH denotes that he'll be out of the picture when Rome is destroyed. And note that the word 'Judge' is capitalized - this is the return of Christ. What's funny is that the Catholic church is amillineal - meaning they don't believe in a rapture, a rule of Christ, or anything that Revelations teaches. They don't even know what a HUGE part of that last book they play!
666 and the Pope. Let's get this straight right now. The number '666' is the number of the Anti-Christ. I DO NOT believe that the Pope is the AC figure, per se. I'll tell you why in a moment. However, remember that numbers are BIG with God, and I have reason to believe this number *may* apply to the pope... because I have a theory (personally) that the Pope could bear more than one prophetic title. First, let's look at the number in relation to the pope - who's Roman title is now "Vicarius Filii Dei". Using Roman numerals for the letters, here's how it adds up:
V = 5
I = 1
C = 100
A = 0 F = 0
R = 0 I = 1
I = 1 L = 50 D = 500
V = 5 I =1 E = 0
S = 0 I = 1 I =1
----------------------
= 112 = 53 = 501 = 666
Roman Numerals. So is 666 the number of 'a man'? Yes. But it's also the number of the Recommendation that gives the High Representative of the EU his power - it's the number of 'a man' in political, diplomatic, and military power, too. Another 666 that is has my attention is that of the list of popes. You know how they often have Roman numerals behind their names, like John Paul II or Pius X? Well, if you add up all of those Roman numerals from the first pope thru JPII... it adds up to 665. No shit. So the number of a man that is yet to come on the scene - a man with a I behind his name would bring it to 666... and that number would be signficant to him. Interesting, isn't it? Hang on, and I'll tell you why I think this is significant. You'll be shocked spitless.
Anti-Christ or False Prophet? There are two end times key players - the AC and the FP. Most people have been raised up in the church to believe that the Pope will be the Anti-Christ. This cannot be true, because the Bible is clear that the AC is gonna be a diplomatic ruler with military might. That's not a pope. HOWEVER, the name 'False Prophet' denotes a religious figure of high authority. I firmly believe that the pope will be this figure. However, there are several ways this could play out.
Three scenarios.
First, there's the possibility that Gloria Olivae comes into office and is then possessed by Satan - becoming Peter the Roman. It's not likely (IMHO) because Satan is only foretold to enter the AC, not the FP. And since he's not able to be in more than one place at one time, it's not likely he could possess FP and AC.
Second, Gloria Olivae could be just an interim person who dies/is raptured/is assasinated, and Peter the Roman is the last *good* pope (is there such a thing?) before the FP steps in. Although basically the pope already is a false prophet, so hrm. I don't buy this so much, either, because the rapture of a pope is beyond me completely - they're too freakin' whacked and out of Christ's teachings/will. Death would have to be relatively fast (within a few years)... it's just got so many wierd variables, it doesn't make much sense to me.
Third, Gloria Olivae could be the FP, and because of his cooperation with the AC, he could either surrender his religious clout to AC, or be usurped by AC - who could be Peter the Roman. If this is the case, AC would 'humor' the church for a while, "feeding the flock", only to drop the pretenses - "after which" Rome will be destroyed. Which would make "Peter the Roman" a fascinating person, wouldn't it? God likes fascinating people, so I kinda toy with this one more than the others. If the AC is Peter the Roman, it would make him AC and FP at the same time... the number of the EU/RRE leader (666) and the number of the pope (666) and Vicarius Filii Dei (666) would meld together perfectly. Was John the Revelator trying to tell us something by giving us this number? I don't know, but it's stunning to think about.
When JPII dies... Here's what happens: there's a traditional process to certify JPII's death - they'll knock on his head with a silver hammer and call out his real name ("Karol Wojtyla, are you dead?") three times. If he doesn't answer, he's dead. ((duh)) I'm betting they'll check medically, too. Then the cardinals rush to Rome and fore a 'college' to arrange the funeral and conclave. There will be a 9-day period of mourning for the Pope. They will remove the seal and the ring from the dead pope and destroy them, so that they can't be used again. They are buried with the pope. The 'conclave' is the selection of the new pope, and it must be held 15-20 days after the pope dies. Everything is done in secret. There's a special Mass, then they sweep the Sistine chapel for bugs and electronic devices. Oaths of secrecy/silence are sworn. Nobody is allowed in, everything is sealed up.
The Electoral 'college'. As in the past, two-thirds of the votes are required for election. If the number of cardinals cannot be equally divided into three parts, the vote must be two-thirds plus one. Twice a day they gather, and each session has two ballots. The cardinals must disguise their handwriting and nominate their candidate. Everyone must witness the votes of each cardinal being cast. Ballots are marked as counted, so they won't be recounted. The ballots are burned after each session in a little stove. One record of the voting is deposited in the Vatican archives. If no man is elected in that session, the papers are burned and black smoke travels up a 60-foot pipe to tell the crowd that they are still without a pope. When a man is elected pope, white smoke signals the election. Wet straw used to be mixed with the ballots to create the white smoke, but today a few chemical pellets are added.
The new pope. When a candidate receives the required number of votes, he is approached and asked in Latin, "Do you accept your canonical election as Supreme Pontiff?" When he says yes, he is asked, "By what name do you wish to be called?" Once he answers, he is the pope. At this point the new pope is taken to the sacristy of the Sistine Chapel and vested in papal robes which are kept there in several sizes. The new pope then takes a seat at the altar to receive the cardinals' homage and obedience. The news spreads quickly after the white smoke signals a new pope. The new pope's birth name is then announced, along with the name he has taken as pope. He then appears and gives his blessing. Shortly afterward, the pope is formally installed. ((NoTe: "Peter the Roman" isn't necessarily the candidates name, for example. JPII is really Karol, not John Paul - but he chose the name John Paul. Likewise, Peter the Roman probably isn't really named Peter... but he'll likely take that name!))
Prophetic significance. My mom shrugged when I told her the pope was failing. "He's just a figurehead, like the Queen of England", she shrugged. I begged to differ: "He influences thousands of souls. She doesn't." There is HUGE prophetic significance about the Pope. Especially in light of the prophecies of the FP and made by Malachay. Jesus said to watch, and John gave us important relevant information about the Catholic church in the end times. If we're watching, there are a LOT of signs to see! I'll be here, posting as I see 'em, so I hope you watch with me! |
