Jana Wagner

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 10

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 10 – Satan’s Gradual Change of the Fourth Commandment

So it was all true. The young minister had spoken the truth that Saturday morning! The “little horn” of Daniel 7 and “the leopard- bodied beast” of Revelation 13 is the Roman papacy, who thought to change “times and laws.” Satan had succeeded through his earthly agent, the pope of Rome, to change the time we are to worship the Creator— from the seventh day to the first day of the week— and, as a consequence, many Christians are keeping, most of them unknowingly, mind you, the “commandments of men.” Did not Christ warn us: “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men”? (Matt. 15: 9). Friends, Satan in his efforts to usurp the throne of God and sit in the sides of the north (Isa. 14: 13, 14) as God Himself, has changed “times” by changing the day the Bible says we are to worship the Creator! By this apparent change, the creature Satan, through his human agents, has claimed the authority of the Creator, and millions and millions of people all over the world are unknowingly paying homage to the “father of lies” by worshipping at his commandment on the first day of the week— the venerable day of the sun— Sunday!

“The detector of error having been removed, Satan worked according to his will. Prophecy had declared that the papacy was to ‘think to change times and laws. ’ Daniel 7: 25. This work it was not slow to attempt. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian worship . The decree of a general council finally established this system of idolatry. To complete the sacrilegious work, Rome presumed to expunge from the law of God the second commandment, forbidding image worship , and to divide the tenth commandment, in order to preserve the number.

“The spirit of concession to paganism opened the way for a still further disregard of Heaven’s authority. Satan, working through unconsecrated leaders of the church , tampered with the fourth commandment also, and essayed to set aside the ancient Sabbath, the day which God had blessed and sanctified (Genesis 2: 2, 3), and in its stead to exalt the festival observed by the heathen as ‘the venerable day of the sun. ’ This change was not at first attempted openly. In the first centuries the true Sabbath had been kept by all Christians. They were jealous for the honor of God, and, believing that His law is immutable, they zealously guarded the sacredness of its precepts. But with great subtlety Satan worked through his agents to bring about his object. That the attention of the people might be called to the Sunday, it was made a festival in honor of the resurrection of Christ . Religious services were held upon it; yet it was regarded as a day of recreation, the Sabbath being still sacredly observed.

“To prepare the way for the work which he designed to accomplish, Satan had led the Jews, before the advent of Christ, to load down the Sabbath with the most rigorous exactions, making its observance a burden. Now, taking advantage of the false light in which he had thus caused it to be regarded, he cast contempt upon it as a Jewish institution. While Christians generally continued to observe the Sunday as a joyous festival, he led them, in order to show their hatred of Judaism, to make the Sabbath a fast, a day of sadness and gloom.

“In the early part of the fourth century the emperor Constantine issued a decree making Sunday a public festival throughout the Roman Empire. The day of the sun was reverenced by his pagan subjects and was honored by Christians; it was the emperor’s policy to unite the conflicting interests of heathenism and Christianity. He was urged to do this by the bishops of the church, who, inspired by ambition and thirst for power, perceived that if the same day was observed by both Christians and heathen, it would promote the nominal acceptance of Christianity by pagans and thus advance the power and glory of the church. But while many God- fearing Christians were gradually led to regard Sunday as possessing a degree of sacredness, they still held the true Sabbath as the holy of the Lord and observed it in obedience to the fourth commandment.

“The archdeceiver had not completed his work. He was resolved to gather the Christian world under his banner and to exercise his power through his vicegerent, the proud pontiff who claimed to be the representative of Christ. Through half- converted pagans, ambitious prelates, and world- loving churchmen he accomplished his purpose. Vast councils were held from time to time, in which the dignitaries of the church were convened from all the world. In nearly every council the Sabbath which God had instituted was pressed down a little lower, while the Sunday was correspondingly exalted. Thus the pagan festival came finally to be honored as a divine institution, while the Bible Sabbath was pronounced a relic of Judaism, and its observers were declared to be accursed.

“The great apostate had succeeded in exalting himself ‘above all that is called God, or that is worshipped. ’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 4). He had dared to change the only precept of the divine law that unmistakably points all mankind to the true and living God. In the fourth commandment, God is revealed as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, and is thereby distinguished from all false gods . It was as a memorial of the work of creation that the seventh day was sanctified as a rest day for man. It was designed to keep the living God ever before the minds of men as the source of being and the object of reverence and worship. Satan strives to turn men from their allegiance to God, and from rendering obedience to His law; therefore he directs his efforts especially against that commandment which points to God as the Creator.

“Protestants now urge that the resurrection of Christ on Sunday made it the Christian Sabbath. But Scripture evidence is lacking. No such honor was given to the day by Christ or His apostles. The observance of Sunday as a Christian institution had its origin in that ‘mystery of lawlessness’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 7, R. V.) which, even in Paul’s day, had begun its work. Where and when did the Lord adopt this child of the papacy? What valid reason can be given for a change which the Scriptures do not sanction?” (The Great Controversy, pp. 51- 54).

What does the fourth commandment actually say: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day [Saturday] is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” (Exodus 20: 8- 11).

Does the Catholic Church acknowledge that there is no command in the Bible for the sanctification of Sunday? “You may read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and you will not find a single line authorizing the sanctification of Sunday. The Scriptures enforce the religious observance of Saturday, a day which we never sanctify.” (Faith of Our Fathers, p. 111).

Does Revelation 12: 17 make more sense to you now? “And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Revelation 14: 12 also adds: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God , and the faith of Jesus”; and Revelation 22: 14 concludes: “Blessed are they that do His commandments [not Satan’s], that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city .” The Apostle John also penned the following words while under inspiration: “And hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar , and the truth is not in him.” (I John 2: 3, 4). After all, Christ Himself said: “If you love me, keep My commandments…. even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His love.” (John 14: 15; 15: 10).

Go to Chapter 11 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 9

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 9 – He Thinks to Change Times and Laws

There is yet another identifying feature of the beast that must be addressed— that He would “think to change times and laws.” (Daniel 7: 25). I will never forget the day I learned that the Roman Catholic Church and the papal power were foretold in the Bible prophecy. One Saturday morning I had been invited to a local church to hear a young minister who was speaking on the prophecies of the Book of Daniel. That morning he taught on the prophecies of Daniel 7, which reveal the four great world powers that would successively rule the world. These four monolithic empires were Babylon (the lion, verse 4), Medo- Persia (the bear, verse 5), Greece (the leopard, verse 6), and Rome (the fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, verse 7). He then explained that out of the fourth beast, Rome, which is “the fourth kingdom upon earth” (verse 23), would come a “little horn” (verse 8), who “shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and dividing of time” (verse 25).

“Now how did the papal power think to change times and laws,” he asked the class, “and what laws would Satan specifically target in his attack?” “The most likely answer would be the law of God— the Ten Commandments ,” he said. The shocker came to me when the young minister began to explain how the Roman Catholic Church did, indeed, just that. “They took out the second commandment, which says: ‘Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth ,’” he said. Immediately I thought about the images of Mary, Baby Jesus, and the Saints in the Cathedral of the Annunciation. How I revered the statues, especially the ones of Mary. I remember wondering, as I listened to the minister speak, why there were statues in the Cathedral, anyway, when the second commandment forbade image worship. Either the statues were a violation of God’s law, or the second commandment, as the young minister insisted, had been changed! What about the bleeding icons and the weeping statues? Would God work miracles through graven images which He forbade?

Eager to learn more, I continued to listen closely to what the young man had to say about the “little horn” power of Daniel 7. “Not only did the Pope ‘think’ to change the second commandment,” he continued, “but he moved the rest of the other nine commandments up one number [number three was now number two, and number four was now number three, etc.], and then he divided number ten in half, making two commandments out of the one, so that there would still be ten commandments!” I remember the day I looked in a Catholic Catechism to verify this for myself and gasped. The second commandment was gone, the fourth commandment, which says: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God” was now the third and simply said: “Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath.” Number nine said, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” And number ten said, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s goods.” What authority did the Roman Catholic Church have, anyway, to change the law of God, I wondered? The young minister continued with his lecture by challenging my lifelong beliefs even further when he asked the question, “How did the little horn think to change ‘times’?”

Before I answer that question, I first want to tell you a little more about my life as a young Catholic boy. Every Sunday I was required to attend 9: 00 A. M. Mass at the Cathedral of the Annunciation. If I missed a Sunday, I was required to bring a note from my parents explaining why I had missed Mass that day, or I would have to stay after school for detention. It was a law!— a “Sunday Law”! In fact, it is a mortal sin to miss Mass on Sunday, according to the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. Therefore, I was quite surprised when the young minister began to question Sunday- keeping. He began by stating that nowhere in the Bible is Sunday regarded as a “holy day.” In fact, A Doctrinal Catechism , by Rev. Stephen Keenan, page 174 says:

“Question— Have you any other way of proving that the church [Roman Catholic] has power to institute festivals of precept?

“Answer— Had she not such power, she could not have done that in which all modern religionists agree with her— she could not have substituted the observance of Sunday, the first day of the week, for the observance of Saturday, the seventh day, a change for which there is not Scriptural authority.”

“The Catholic church, by virtue of her divine mission, changed the day from Saturday to Sunday.” (The Catholic Mirror, official organ of Cardinal Gibbons, Sept. 23, 1893).

Again the question is asked of them in still another catechism:

“Question— Which is the Sabbath day? “Answer— Saturday is the Sabbath day. “Question— Why do we observe Sunday instead of Saturday? “Answer— We observe Sunday instead of Saturday because the Catholic Church, in the Council of Laodicea, (A. D. 336), transferred the solemnity from Saturday to Sunday.” (The Convert’s Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, p. 50, Third Edition, 1913, a work which received the “apostolic blessing” of Pius X, Jan. 25, 1910).

After the young minister’s lecture, which both shocked and disturbed me, I ran out of the church and remember looking for one of the Catholic priests that had taught me “the truth.” It so happened that the very next evening I was going to a party to which I had been invited the week before. And whom do you think I ran into there? It was one of the priests from the Cathedral of the Annunciation! Talk about Providence! With a cocktail in one hand and a cigarette in the other, the priest seemed pleased to see me after so many years. My mind was racing, and it wasn’t long before I sprung the unexpected question upon him: “Which is the Sabbath day?” I asked. With an interesting look in his eye, he answered cautiously, “Saturday!” I then probed him further as to how God’s holy day (Isaiah 58: 13), the Seventh- day Sabbath, got changed from Saturday to Sunday? With raised eyebrows, and the smell of liquor and tobacco on the “holy” man’s breath, he answered, and I kid you not, “the pope changed the day!” I then asked him if the Catholic Church had indeed killed millions of Christians during the Dark Ages? He reluctantly answered, while looking into his glass, “We would like to forget that.” And to think that I used to confess my sins to these “reverend men of God,” who buy pornographic literature, smoke cigarettes, and get drunk in public!

Go to Chapter 10 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 8

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 8 – Other Characteristics of the Little Horn of Daniel 7 – He Blasphemes God

Before I resume my effort to unravel the role that the counterfeit Virgin Mary will play in deceiving the whole world, there are a few other characteristics about the “beast” or “little horn” that I would like to address. The Bible says that he would not only “make war with the saints” and “reign for 1260 years,” but that he would also “blaspheme God,” “think to change times and laws,” and influence “all that dwell upon the earth” to “worship him.” (See Dan. 7: 25; Rev. 13: 6- 8).

The Bible tells us that the papal power “opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name.” (Rev. 13: 6). The title of pope is actually derived from the word papa, which means father. In fact, many nations of the world now recognize the pope as the “Holy Father.” He is also known as “Pontifex Maximus,” which means “the Greatest Bridge- Builder,” signifying that he claims the position of Christ the true “ladder” (or “bridge”) who would span the gulf sin had made between Heaven and earth. (See Gen. 28: 12 and John 1: 51). He also is known by the name of “Vicarius Filii Dei” (the vicar, or official ruling representative, of the Son of God on earth). Thus, he claims to hold the title, position, and authority of God the Father (il papa), God the Son (Pontifex Maximus), and God the Holy Spirit (Vicarius Filii Dei [These texts show the Holy Spirit is Christ’s true vicar on earth: John 14: 16- 18, 26; 15: 26; 16: 7, 8, 13, 14]) Hence the Pope is crowned with a triple crown [the tiara], as king of heaven, and earth, and the lower regions.

Ecclesiastical literature is replete with exhibits of the arrogant, blasphemous claims of the papacy. Typical examples are the following extracts from a large encyclopedic work written by a Roman Catholic divine of the 18th century, plus other examples of more recent times:

“The Pope is of so great dignity and so exalted that he is not a mere man, but as it were God, and the vicar of God….

“The Pope is as it were God on earth, sole sovereign of the faithful of Christ, chief of kings, having plenitude of power, to whom has been intrusted by the omnipotent God direction not only of the earthly but also of the heavenly kingdom….

“The Pope is of so great authority and power that he can modify, explain, or interpret even divine laws….

“The Pope can modify divine law, since his power is not of man but of God, and he acts as vicegerent of God upon earth with most ample power of binding and loosing sheep.” (Translated from Lucius Ferraris, “Papa II,” Prompta Bibliotheca, Vol. VI, pp. 25- 29).

“The Pope is infallible….[ He] cannot err when, as Shepherd and Teacher of all Christians , he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals, to be held by the whole church.” (A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, p. 16).

“People who see him— and countless millions have— do not forget him. His appearances generate electricity unmatched by anyone else on earth . That explains, for instance, why in rural Kenyan villages thousands of children, plus many cats and roosters and even hotels, are named John Paul. Charisma is the only conceivable reason why a CD featuring him saying the rosary— in Latin— against a backdrop of Bach and Handel is currently ascending the charts in Europe. It accounts for the dazed reaction of a young woman who found herself, along with thousands around her in a sports stadium in Denver, cheering and applauding him: ‘I don’t react that way to rock groups. What is it that he has? ’

“… When he talks, it is not only to his flock of over a billion ; he expects the world to listen. And the flock and the world listen .

“… John Paul can also impose his will, and there was no more formidable and controversial example of this than the Vatican’s intervention at the U. N. ’s International Conference on population and development in Cairo in September. There the Pope’s emissaries defeated a U. S.- backed proposition John Paul feared would encourage abortions worldwide. The consequences may be global and— critics predict— catastrophic, particularly in the teeming Third World, where John Paul is so admired.

“…. John Paul’s impact on the world has already been enormous, ranging from the global to the personal. He has covered more than half a million miles of travels…. He is an army of one….‘ He’ll go down in history as the greatest of modern Popes, ’ says the Rev. Billy Graham. ‘He’s been the strong conscience of the whole Christian world. ’ ” (Time, Dec. 26, 1994/ Jan. 2, 1995, pp. 53, 54). Didn’t the prophecy of Revelation 13: 3 say that “all the world wondered [admired or marveled] after the beast”! And this includes the youth, for the Stockton Record, as well as many other major newspapers, featured the following article from the Associated Press: “1 million youths rally to pope’s call . The huge crowd, gathered for a Mass at Poland’s holiest shrine during the sixth annual Vatican- sponsored World Youth Day , interrupted John Paul for nearly 10 minutes with applause, singing, and chants of ‘Long live the pope! ’ ”

Another interesting note is that John Paul is not the only one interested in World Youth Day. “The ‘Mary of the New Advent’ to whom the pope referred in Denver is particularly associated with World Youth Day, which John Paul II has been promoting for some years. She was displayed at the all- night prayer vigil of pilgrims who walked to Cherry Creek Park (near Denver) to meet the pope, who came in a helicopter. A journalist who was present writes: ‘It is well past 9 P. M. when the icon, the official one of World Youth Day, is presented. This part of the vigil is referred to as ‘Veneration [worship] of the image of the Virgin Mary: Our Lady of the New Advent. ’

“…. The next day, Sunday, the pope returned in his helicopter. The pilgrims… greeted him again with renewed excitement. There he celebrated Mass and 3000 priests took several hours to minister the wafers to the crowd of 375,000. Addressing Mary in heaven personally at times during his talk, the pope began: ‘With my heart full of praise for the Queen of Heaven , the sign of hope and source of comfort on our pilgrimage of faith to the heavenly Jerusalem, I greet all of you who are present at this solemn liturgy…. This liturgy presents you, Mary, as the woman clothed with the sun … O woman clothed with the sun… the youth of the world greet you with so much love…. In Mary the final victory of life over death is already a reality. ’” (A Woman Rides the Beast, pp. 442, 443). Obviously, the pope of Rome is a major player in selling the counterfeit Mary to the world, youth included.

Daniel the Prophet, in further describing the characteristics of the “little horn,” which he saw in vision coming out of Rome, said that “in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” (Dan. 7: 8). And Jesus Christ further warned us through His servant John of the following: “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six [666].” (Rev. 13: 18). You have no idea how amazed I was the day I learned that if you take the pope’s title, “Vicarius Filii Dei,” which is on his miter, and assign the appropriate value for each Roman numeral (such as V= 5, I= 1( 6 times), C= 100, U= 5, L= 50, and D= 500), the total comes to 666! That means that every pope that has ever lived and every pope that is to come has the number 666— the title of the Antichrist— and the prophecy is then applicable to the present pope!

Not only is the pope of Rome revered as the great moral leader of the world, he is also, according to Roman Catholic belief , a direct successor of St. Peter, whom Rome refers to as the first pope— the rock on whom Jesus Christ built His church. Friends, this is an untrue conclusion, since Peter was never referred to as the “the rock” by Jesus. The Scripture the Catholic Church uses to support its claim that Peter was the “rock” is Matthew 16: 18: “And I [Jesus] say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” But, if you take this verse, using the original Greek, it actually says: Thou art Peter [Christ called the Apostle by his first name, which in the Greek is Petros— a (piece of) rock , (Strong’s Concordance)], and upon this rock [Christ now refers to Himself as the Rock, which in the Greek is an entirely different word with a different gender— namely, Petra, a (mass of) rock, (Strong’s Concordance)]. In effect, this is like a mountain compared to a pebble, as Divinity rightfully is when compared to humanity. In fact, just a few verses later, when Christ said “that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day,” Peter began “to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” Peter was actually saying, “No way, Lord, You will not die.” Friends, without the death of Christ as the Lamb of God, sacrificed for the sins of the world, salvation would be impossible. Peter didn’t understand Christ’s true mission at this time and, therefore, responded emotionally. To this response, Christ “said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offense to me.” (Verses 21- 23). Remember that Matthew 16: 18 said that the “gates of hell shall not prevail” against the “Rock.” Well, Satan had just prevailed against Peter, so he could not be the Rock, but the devil certainly will never prevail against the “Rock of Ages”— Jesus Christ!

The Bible says in I Corinthians 10: 4 that “that Rock was Christ.” In fact, Peter himself, when referring to Jesus in the Bible, called Him the “chief corner stone … the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner .” (I Pet. 2: 6, 7). “In infinite wisdom, God chose the foundation stone and laid it Himself. He called it ‘a sure foundation. ’ The entire world may lay upon it their burdens and griefs; it can endure them all. With perfect safety they may build upon it. Christ is a ‘tried stone. ’ Those who trust in Him, He never disappoints. He has borne every test. He has endured the pressure of Adam’s guilt, and the guilt of his posterity, and has come off more than conqueror of the powers of evil. He has borne the burdens cast upon Him by every repenting sinner. In Christ the guilty heart has found relief. He is the sure foundation. All who make Him their dependence rest in perfect security.” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 598, 599). Christ is the true foundation, the “chief corner stone,” on which the Christian church is built; and by His dwelling in us through the Holy Spirit, we become living stones in His spiritual temple, for we are “built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Eph. 2: 20- 22). But since the Roman Catholic Church uses the argument that Peter was the rock, the first pope, it concludes that its popes, as descendants of Peter, along with its bishops and priests, have the power to forgive sins, which the Bible declares is blasphemy. (See Matt. 9: 1- 6).

I remember kneeling, many times, in a confessional and telling my sins to a priest who sat behind a dark screen. Little did I know at that time, that the confessional had its origin with the pagan priests of Babylon (to be addressed later). After hearing my confession, the priest would give me a number of prayers to recite for my penance. On one occasion, I was given a whole rosary [a string of beads of pagan origin] to say for my penance, which included fifty three Hail Marys: “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions , as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” (Matt. 6: 7). Since I was young and ignorant of the Scriptures, I did not know that the Bible gives the following instructions in regard to the confession of sin: “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” And “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 2: 1, 2; 1: 9).

Go to Chapter 9 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 7

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 7 – The Deadly Wound Was Healed

Even though the Roman Church flourished during the 1260- year period, Revelation 13: 3 tells us that the beast would indeed suffer a deadly wound, and this prophecy was exactly fulfilled in the year of 1798. “In 1798, 1260 years later [from 538], the pope was taken into captivity and the Catholic Church was dealt a mortal blow. It happened just as Revelation had foretold, with remarkable accuracy…. During the French Revolution and under orders from the revolutionary French government, General Alexander Berthier [one of Napoleon’s generals] issued a proclamation in Rome on February 15, 1798, informing Pope Pius VI and the people of Rome that the pope should no longer ‘exercise any function. ’ ” (God Cares, p. 328). “Napoleon had dethroned the Pope, because the Pontiffs found themselves alone, the sole fountains of order, peace, law, and safety” in Western Europe. (The Temporal Power of the Vicar of Christ, p. 27). In 1798, Napoleon intended that there would never be another pope. “The Papacy was extinct: not a vestige of its existence remained; and among all the Roman Catholic powers not a finger was stirred in its defense. The Eternal City had no longer prince or Pontiff, its bishop was a dying captive in foreign lands; and the decree was already announced that no successor would be allowed in his place.” (Rome: From the Fall of the Western Empire, p. 440). In other words, a deadly wound was inflicted upon the beast power, just as the Bible prophesied: “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death.” (Rev. 13: 3a). But, that was not the end of the story, for the second part of the Scripture prophesied: “and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast .” (Rev. 13: 3b).

But even during the 1260- year papal oppression, when the “woman,” God’s true church, suffered tremendous persecution, God “nourished,” or cared for His children. “And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” (Rev. 12: 14- 16).

In Revelation 12: 14, God preserves the woman from being swept away by providing her with “two wings of a great eagle”— an appropriate symbol of God’s paternal care for His children. When the Israelites escaped from Egyptian slavery, Moses said that God had carried them on “eagles’ wings.” (Exodus 19: 4). In Psalm 91: 4, we read: “He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust.” And in Deuteronomy 32: 9- 12: “The Lord’s portion is His people; Jacob is the lot of His inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; He led him about, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings: so the Lord alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him.” Many Christians suffered under the “flood” of persecution that was cast out of the serpent’s mouth, but the “earth helped the woman,” by providing naturally protected and uninhabited areas for her safety. Many Christians fled to such places as the mountain valleys of the Alps, to the mountains themselves, and to the sparsely populated British colonies in North America. And, besides, this raises an important question: Why would Mary, during the 1260 years, flee into the wilderness from the papacy, when the Roman Catholic Church is the one who had set her up as one to be worshipped? Why would they want to destroy her— a pillar in their system of worship? How, then, could the Virgin Mary be the “woman,” who had fled for 1260 years into the wilderness for her safety? Furthermore, when did the literal Mary have any experience of being persecuted and driven into the wilderness by the dragon in the period of her life after the ascension of her Son Jesus? The Virgin Mary simply does not fit!

On the other hand, Satan is relentless in his fury to destroy God’s true church, and will not cease his attempt to annihilate every true Christian. Frantic with frustration for failing to destroy the true church during the 1260 years, Satan, in these end times, directs his bitter attacks against the “remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus.” (Revelation 12: 17). Friends, Satan will use any means he can to accomplish his goal to deceive the very elect— be it the Roman Empire, the Roman Catholic Church, or even the spiritualistic appearances of the “Virgin Mary .”

“The Catholic Church is avowedly Roman. Its official name today, as it has been throughout most of its long history, is The Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Rome.” (God Cares, Vol. 2, p. 327). Again, Revelation 13: 2 says that “the dragon [in this case, the Roman Empire through whom Satan was working] gave him [the Roman Catholic Church with the pope at the head] his power, and his seat [or throne], and great authority.”

“A throne is a symbol of authority. But because this passage already contains the words ‘power’ and ‘authority, ’ we expect ‘throne’ here to convey a more literal meaning. Basically, a throne is a place where an important person sits. Other words for throne are the Greek cathedra , and the Latin sedes, which shows up in the English as see. In the Catholic Church, the building in which a bishop’s throne (or cathedra) is located is called his ‘cathedral .’ The city in which his throne is located is called his ‘see. ’ The ultimate see in Catholicism is the Holy See, the city where the Pope’s throne is located. This city is Rome.” (Ibid.). “Specifically, since the Treaty of the Lateran with Italy, the Holy See has been Vatican City, a 108.7- acre tract on Vatican Hill, lying wholly within the city of Rome.” (Ibid., footnote). Furthermore, Revelation 17: 9 reveals another identifying feature of the great “whore” of Bible prophecy: “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains , on which the woman sitteth.” One Catholic resource acknowledges the following: “It is within the city of Rome, called The City on Seven Hills , that the entire area of Vatican State Proper is now confined.” (The Catholic Encyclopedia, p. 529). It should also be noted that the name Vatican comes from the Latin words Vatis, which means diviner, and can, which means serpent . The name Vatican, therefore, is literally interpreted— The Divining Serpent . In fact, there are serpent door handles on the doors of the new St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, and a large papal crest in the Vatican museum features a dragon! Serpent crosiers were commonly carried by bishops and high Catholic Church officials during the Middle Ages.

The Book of Isaiah tells us that Satan’s ultimate desire and purpose in life is to usurp God’s throne: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High .” (Isaiah 14: 12- 14). I am so grateful for the next verse that reveals the fate of the devil: “Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell [the grave], to the sides of the pit.” (Isaiah 14: 15). Do you not think that Satan could be working through the Pope of Rome, who claims to have the power of God on earth? Paul knew that this power would arise, and wrote about it in his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians: “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come [the second coming of Christ], except there come a falling away first [an apostasy from within God’s church— from the Greek word, apostasia, in this case an outgrowth known as the church of Rome], and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition ; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” (II Thessalonians 2: 3- 5). If people would only study their Bibles the way it instructs them to, by taking “precept upon precept; line upon line… here a little and there a little” (Isa. 28: 10), in other words, by comparing Scripture with Scripture, they would find the truth through the Holy Spirit’s guidance.

According to the prophecy of Revelation 13: 3, the deadly blow would not kill, but only wound, the Catholic Church, and surely one has to acknowledge that his “deadly wound” is healing. History tells us that in 1801, Napoleon signed a “concordat,” or church- state treaty, with a new Pope. “On the other hand, in 1870 the newly emerging nation of Italy deepened the church’s woes for a while by taking away the Papal States, a considerable portion of the Italian peninsula, which the church had owned for centuries…. But in 1929 Mussolini signed a concordat granting the pope full authority over the State of Vatican City, 108.7 acres in Rome which includes St. Peter’s Cathedral.” (God Cares, p. 346). The Vatican had put Mussolini into power, and now Mussolini reciprocated by making the Roman Catholic Church the sole religion in all Italy and giving her 750 million lire in cash and one billion in state bonds.

Ever since 1929 the wound has been healing rapidly. Protestant America, which was built upon the separation of church and state and which had once loudly protested [the word Protestant originated from the people’s “protest” against Catholicism] the establishment of the papal power in this country, now welcomes her with open arms. Times have certainly changed, and even America is “wondering” after the beast! In 1951 President Harry Truman asked the Senate to approve his nomination of an ambassador to the State of Vatican City, and America was plunged into a vortex of agony and protest. Truman finally withdrew his request after “hardly a Protestant church in the country failed to express its opposition formally and often acrimoniously.” (Church State and Freedom, p. 302). More recently, in 1984, President Ronald Reagan’s nomination of William A. Wilson as ambassador to Vatican City was quickly approved by the Senate, 81- 13. At this critical time, only a few voices were heard worrying about church and state. The next event was unbelievable because of the swiftness with which it happened and the players involved. This event was the demise of Communism in Poland through the conspiring efforts of President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, as featured on the front cover of Time on Feb. 24, 1992. [Friends, is this a fulfillment of the prophecy that the “whore” would commit “fornication” with the “the kings of the earth”? (See Rev. 17: 1, 2) The Vatican is a religio- political system whose aim is to control the world!] Then, in a Special Double Issue of Time for December 26, 1994/ January 2, 1995, John Paul II was featured once again on its cover as “The Man of the Year.” Unbelievable! How I wondered what the world’s reaction would have been had the number one news weekly printed instead the pope’s true alias as given by the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Thessalonians—“ The Man of Sin.” (II Thess. 2: 3). This issue of Time was released only two and a half months after the October 9, 1995, issue of U. S. News which also featured Pope John Paul II on its cover. The caption on their cover read: “Honor thy father. ” Here was another blasphemous statement published by another major U. S. periodical in the United States. Has Protestant America forgotten that the Bible clearly says: “Call no man your [spiritual] father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven .” (Matt. 23: 9). Did you know that according to the doctrines of the Catholic Church your spiritual “Father” is the pope of Rome and your spiritual “Mother” is the Virgin Mary? A Catholic Catechism declares: “The Pope is the spiritual Father of all Christians ” and “The Blessed Virgin Mary is our Mother also because, being the brethren of Jesus, we are the children of Mary.” (A Catechism of Catholic Doctrine, pp. 15, 27). I find it quite interesting that the American edition of this book was originally published in 1973 by Marian Publications !

Faithful Protestants, where are the Reformers today? Not only does the Protestant Reformation seem to be a thing of the past, but the churches of the world are uniting on common points of faith , and Mary could be the one to further “heal” the wound of many years . After all, “Pope John Paul II prays every day to the virgin, whom he credits with saving his life.” (Life, Dec., 1996, p. 48). “At a certain moment on May 13, 1981, during an open- air papal audience in St. Peter’s Square, in the presence of some 75,000 people and before the eyes of an estimated 11 million television viewers, Pope John Paul spied a little girl wearing a small picture of Christ’s Mother of Our Lady of Fatima . Just as he bent from his slow moving “popemobile” in a spontaneous gesture to the child, hired assassin Mehmet Ali Agca squeezed off two bullets, aimed precisely where his head had been. As two pilgrims fell wounded to the ground, two more shots rang out, and this time John Paul’s blood stained his white papal cassock.” (The Keys of This Blood, p. 46). “On May 13, 1992 [and again in 1994], John Paul II went to Fatima where he thanked Our Lady of Fatima for sparing his life in the 1981 assassination attempt.” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 151). “Nor is anyone more devoted to Mary. John Paul II, who has ‘dedicated himself and his Pontificate to Our Lady’ bears the M for Mary in his coat of arms; his personal motto, embroidered on the inside of his robes in Latin, is totus tuus sum Maria (Mary, I’m all yours) .” (A Woman Rides the Beast, p. 459).

“Moreover, John Paul is firmly convinced, as are many others, that Mary brought an end to communism throughout Europe. His faith is rooted in the famed prophecies of Mary at Fatima in 1917. According to Sister Lucia, one of the children who claimed to see her, the Virgin predicted the rise of Soviet totalitarianism before it happened. In a subsequent vision, she directed the Pope and his bishops to consecrate Russia to her Immaculate Heart in order to bring communism to an end.

“According to Lucia, papal attempts to carry out that consecration failed in 1942, ’52, and ’82. John Paul finally carried out Mary’s directive in 1984— and the very next year Mikhail Gorbechev’s rise to power inaugurated the Soviet collapse. Says Father Robert Fox of the Fatima Family Shrine in Alexandria, S. Dak.: ‘The world will recognize in due time that the defeat of communism came at the intercession of the mother of Jesus .’ ” (Time, Dec., 30, 1991, pp. 64, 65). In fact, the former Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbechev, called Pope John Paul II “the highest authority on earth.” Amazing words, coming from the ex- leader of communist Russia!

John Paul II is currently leading the greatest ecumenical movement in history in order to unite all religions under Rome’s leadership. On October 27, 1986, the pope gathered in Assisi, Italy, the leaders of the world’s major religions to pray for peace. Included in the group were snake worshippers, Buddhists, Moslems, Hindus, Spiritists, and North American witch doctors. The pope said they were all praying to the same god, and their prayers were “creating a spiritual energy that was bringing about a new climate for peace.” A prophesied World Religion (see Rev 13: 3, 4, 12; 17: 12- 14) is being formed before our eyes, and the Vatican is the headquarters of the new movement. Is this not “spiritual fornication”?

As stated earlier, the Apostle Paul saw “creeping into the church, errors that would prepare the way for the development of the papacy. Little by little, at first in stealth and silence, and then more openly as it increased in strength and gained control of the minds of men, ‘the mystery of iniquity’ carried forward its deceptive and blasphemous work. Almost imperceptibly the customs of heathenism found their way into the Christian church. The spirit of compromise and conformity was restrained for a time by the fierce persecutions which the church endured under paganism. But as persecution ceased, and Christianity entered the courts and palaces of kings, she laid aside the humble simplicity of Christ and His apostles for the pomp and pride of pagan priests and rulers; and in place of the requirements of God, she substituted human theories and traditions. The nominal conversion of Constantine, in the early part of the fourth century, caused great rejoicing; and the world, cloaked with a form of righteousness, walked into the church. Now the work of corruption rapidly progressed. Paganism, while appearing to be vanquished, became the conqueror. Her spirit controlled the church. Her doctrines, ceremonies, and superstitions were incorporated into the faith and worship of the professed followers of Christ.

“This compromise between paganism and Christianity resulted in the development of ‘the man of sin’ foretold in prophecy as opposing and exalting himself above God. That gigantic system of false religion is a masterpiece of Satan’s power— a monument of his efforts to seat himself upon the throne to rule the earth according to his will.

“… Satan well knew that the Holy Scriptures would enable men to discern his deceptions and withstand his power. It was by the Word that even the Saviour of the world had resisted his attacks. At every assault, Christ presented the shield of eternal truth, saying, ‘It is written. ’ To every suggestion of the adversary, He opposed the wisdom and power of the Word. In order for Satan to maintain his sway over men, and establish the authority of the papal usurper, he must keep them in ignorance of the Scriptures. The Bible would exalt God and place finite men in their true position; therefore its sacred truths must be concealed and suppressed. This logic was adopted by the Roman Church. For hundreds of years the circulation of the Bible was prohibited. The people were forbidden to read it or to have it in their houses, and unprincipled priests and prelates interpreted its teachings to sustain their pretensions. Thus the pope came to be almost universally acknowledged as the vicegerent of God on earth, endowed with authority over church and state…. To afford converts from heathenism a substitute for the worship of idols, and thus to promote their nominal acceptance of Christianity, the adoration of images [statues of the Virgin Mary] and relics was gradually introduced into the Christian worship .” (The Great Controversy, pp. 49- 52).

Go to Chapter 8 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 6

by

by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 6 – The 1260- day Prophecy and the Papacy

As a matter of fact, the 1260- day prophecy is mentioned seven times in Daniel and Revelation. There are not, as some have supposed, several 1260- day periods; there is only one. It is mentioned seven times, because it is so very important: in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7 and also in Revelation 12: 14, as a time, times (i. e., two times— the lowest plural), and a half time; in Revelation 11: 2 and 13: 5, as forty- two months; and in Revelation 11: 3 and Revelation 12: 6, as one thousand two hundred and threescore (sixty) days. In Bible prophecy, there are 360 days to a year, and if you multiply 360 times three and one- half, you will come up with the number— 1260. Also, when time is used in Bible prophecy, a day stands for a year. (See Ezekiel 4: 6; Num. 14: 34). Therefore, the Bible has given us the important key to figuring out the 1260- day prophecy, and that is this— that the 1260 days are actually 1260 literal years.

As Satan used the Roman Empire— particularly King Herod, Pontius Pilate and Nero, as well as many others— to put Christ to death and kill many of God’s people, he, like a chameleon, changed his disguise once again after Western Rome’s fall, but this time, he kept the same Roman roots. The “wilderness” (Rev. 12: 6), symbolizing this 1260- year period, is also referred to as the “great tribulation” (Matt 24: 21)— a time when millions of God’s true people were martyred for refusing to follow the dictates of the Roman Church . The Bible accurately prophesied that the papal power, as symbolized by the “little horn” in Daniel 7: 8, 20, 21 and the “leopard- bodied beast” in Revelation 13: 2, would “make war with the saints.” Only one “religious” organization has been responsible for more persecutions and deaths of faithful Bible believing Christians than any other sect in history— The Holy Roman Catholic Church!

“Step by step, the Roman Empire (the dragon) did indeed give its power, throne, and great authority [Revelation 13: 2] to the Catholic Church… A climax came in 538, when the armies of the Empire [the unfallen Eastern division] drove the Arian Ostrogoths out of Rome. By 538, therefore, the 1260 years could begin .” (God Cares, p. 328). “In the sixth century the papacy had become firmly established. Its seat of power was fixed in the imperial city, and the bishop of Rome was declared to be the head over the entire church. Paganism had given place to the papacy. The dragon had given to the beast ‘his power, and his seat, and great authority. ’ Revelation 13: 2. And now began the 1260 years of papal oppression foretold in the prophecies of Daniel and the Revelation. Daniel 7: 25; Revelation 13: 5- 7. Christians were forced to choose either to yield their integrity and accept the papal ceremonies and worship, or to wear away their lives in dungeons or to suffer death by the rack, the fagot, or the headsman’s ax. Now were fulfilled the words of Jesus: ‘Ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for My name’s sake. ’ Luke 21: 16, 17. Persecution opened upon the faithful with greater fury than ever before, and the world became a vast battlefield. For hundreds of years the church of Christ found refuge in seclusion and obscurity. Thus says the prophet: ‘The woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three- score days. ’ Revelation 12: 6.

“The accession of the Roman Church to power marked the beginning of the Dark Ages. As her power increased, the darkness deepened. Faith was transferred from Christ, the true foundation, to the pope of Rome. Instead of trusting in the Son of God for forgiveness of sins and for eternal salvation, the people looked to the pope, and to the priests and prelates to whom he delegated authority. They were taught that the pope was their earthly mediator and that none could approach God except through him; and, further, that he stood in the place of God to them and was therefore to be implicitly obeyed. A deviation from his requirements was sufficient cause for the severest punishment to be visited upon the bodies and souls of the offenders. Thus the minds of the people were turned away from God to fallible, erring, and cruel men, nay, more, to the prince of darkness himself, who exercised his power through them. Sin was disguised in a garb of sanctity. When the Scriptures are suppressed, and man comes to regard himself as supreme, we need look only for fraud, deception, and debasing iniquity. With the elevation of human laws and traditions was manifest the corruption that ever results from setting aside the law of God.

“Those were days of peril for the church of Christ. The faithful standard- bearers were few indeed. Though the truth was not left without witnesses, yet at times it seemed that error and superstition would wholly prevail, and true religion would be banished from the earth. The gospel was lost sight of, but the forms of religion were multiplied, and the people were burdened with rigorous exactions.

“They were taught not only to look to the pope as their mediator, but to trust to works of their own to atone for sin. Long pilgrimages, acts of penance, the worship of relics, the erection of churches, shrines , and altars, the payment of large sums to the church— these and many similar acts were enjoined to appease the wrath of God or to secure His favor; as if God were like men, to be angered at trifles, or pacified by gifts or acts of penance!

“Notwithstanding that vice prevailed, even among the leaders of the Roman Church, her influence seemed steadily to increase. About the close of the eighth century, papists put forth the claim that in the first ages of the church the bishops of Rome had possessed the same spiritual power which they now assumed. To establish this claim, some means must be employed to give it a show of authority; and this was readily suggested by the father of lies. Ancient writings were forged by monks. Decrees of councils before unheard of were discovered, establishing the universal supremacy of the pope from the earliest times. And a church that had rejected the truth greedily accepted these deceptions.

“The few faithful builders upon the true foundation (I Corinthians 3: 10, 11) were perplexed and hindered as the rubbish of false doctrine obstructed the work. Like the builders upon the wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day, some were ready to say: ‘The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed, and there is much rubbish; so that we are not able to build. ’ Nehemiah 4: 10. Wearied with the constant struggle against persecution, fraud, iniquity, and every other obstacle that Satan could devise to hinder their progress, some who had been faithful builders became disheartened; and for the sake of peace and security for their property and their lives, they turned away from the true foundation. Others, undaunted by the opposition of their enemies, fearlessly declared: ‘Be not ye afraid of them: remember the Lord, which is great and terrible’ (verse 14); and they proceeded with the work, everyone with his sword girded by his side. Ephesians 6: 17.

“… .The darkness seemed to grow more dense. Image worship became more general. Candles were burned before images, and prayers were offered to them. The most absurd and superstitious customs prevailed. The minds of men were so completely controlled by superstition that reason itself seemed to have lost its sway. While priests and bishops were themselves pleasure- loving, sensual, and corrupt , it could only be expected that the people who looked to them for guidance would be sunken in ignorance and vice.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 54- 57).

Friends, I take no pleasure in what I am about to tell you, but I believe you must know the truth. When I was a young Catholic boy attending Annunciation School, not only had I lit candles and said prayers for my dead, departed friends and relatives, while kneeling in front of images of dead “Saints” and the “Virgin Mary” at the Cathedral, but later, as a teenager attending Saint Mary’s High School, I had worked at my father’s liquor store, which was located way across town. I used to see the priests from these schools, dressed in civilian clothes, come into our store and look at the pornographic magazines and novels that were sold there. I used to hide in the back room because I was afraid they would see me. Now I wish I had confronted them for what they were doing!

Then there was the time I was serving Mass as an altar boy with my brother. It was six o’clock Mass, or morning Mass, and the monsignor himself was officiating that morning. When the time came for me to put wine into the chalice for the monsignor, I remember his nudging the small carafe that I was holding each time I poured the wine into his chalice. After his doing this twice, my older and more experienced brother whispered in my ear, “Pour it all in his cup.” Now looking back, I realize the “holy” man was an alcoholic . But there was yet another episode that offended me more than the rest. It was the time I had attended a large Catholic wedding where my Italian cousin was getting married. I remember watching the officiating priest, while at the reception, standing at the bar drinking glass after glass of wine. The guests were patiently waiting for the priest to join the dinner party and bless the food. Finally, someone had the courage to whisper in the priest’s ear that we were waiting for his company and the blessing, and the now drunk, stumbling “Father” yelled out, while staggering in the middle of the hall and impatiently waving the sign of the cross, “What are you waiting for? It’s blessed! Eat !”

Go to Chapter 7 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 5

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 5 – The Woman of Genesis 3: 15 and Revelation 12: 1- 6

The writers of The Thunder of Justice also claim that Mary refers to herself as the one “who crushes the serpent [Satan],” in the end- time, because she is the “woman” of Genesis 3: 15. Let us look at this Scripture in detail and see if this is indeed true. In Genesis 3: 15 the Bible says: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.” This verse is a prophecy and promise that someday a certain Son, a particular male Child, would be born into the world [a descendant of Eve], to contest the devil, and though terribly bruised in the contest (His death on the cross), He would conquer the devil with a fatal blow to the head at the end of time. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2: 14).

In Galatians 3: 16 the Bible further clarifies that “to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ .” Thus it is plain to see that it is not Mary at all, but “her seed,” Jesus Christ, that destroys Satan at last. Let us now, with emphases supplied, reread Genesis 3: 15: “I will put enmity [hostility] between thee [Satan] and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed [Satan’s followers] and her seed [her descendants in Christ the Deliverer]; it [Christ— the promised Seed, the Deliverer Himself] shall bruise thy head [the death blow— Christ’s complete victory over Satan and Satan’s permanent, eternal destruction after the thousand years (see Ezekiel 28: 18, 19 and Revelation 20: 6- 9)], and thou [Satan] shall bruise His heel [Christ’s death on the cross— a serious wound, but not permanent, for He rose from the dead, having the keys of the grave and of death (Rev. 1: 18), having utterly spoiled Satan’s kingdom and power].

The book, The Thunder of Justice, further claims that “the prophecy of Genesis 3 has been fulfilled with Revelation 12, where Mary is the great sign in Heaven: ‘And a great sign appeared in Heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars. ’ Pope Paul VI, in his 1967 encyclical, Signum Magnum, identified the Lady of Fatima as the biblical representation of the Woman clothed with the sun.” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 88). The book further states that “Mary, the Woman clothed with the sun, appears as a sign and explains the secrets of the Book of Revelation.”

Also, they claim that “on April 12, 1947, at Tre Fontane (Three Fountains), in Rome, Italy, Our Blessed Mother announced, I am the Virgin of Revelation .” (Ibid. p. 89). And if you listen to the words of Father Gobbi, one of the Marian Movement’s priests whom Mary seems to have communicated through more than any other individual, he claims the Virgin Mary told him on April 24, 1980, the following: “I am the Virgin of Revelation. In me, the masterpiece of the Father is realized in such a perfect manner, that He can shed on me the light of His predilection. The Word assumes His human nature in my virginal womb, and thus can come to you by means of my true function as Mother. The Holy Spirit draws me, like a magnet, into the depths of the life of love between the Father and the Son, and I become interiorly transformed and so assimilated to Him as to be His spouse…. I will bring you [plural] to the full understanding of Sacred Scriptures.” (Ibid., 90).

Friends, the Bible never told us that Mary would interpret Scripture, but that the Holy Spirit will. “But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God… the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God…. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth: comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” (I Cor. 2: 10, 11b, 13). Again, in John 16: 13 and 14, Jesus said to His disciples: “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth… and He will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine [of the wonderful achievements of Him who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life], and shall shew it unto you.” Thus, it is the Holy Spirit, a member of the Godhead— and not a created being— to whom the interpretation of the Scriptures has been intrusted to guide those who are the honest seekers after the truth of God’s Word. Yet, The Thunder of Justice continues: “Above all, I [Mary] will read to you the pages of its last book [Revelation], which you are living. In it, everything is already predicted, even that which must still come to pass. The battle to which I am calling you is clearly described, and my great victory is foretold.” (Ibid.).

Let us now take a close look at Revelation 12 and see if the “woman clothed with the sun” is truly the Virgin Mary. But before we do this, let us establish some facts about the book of Revelation. First of all, the book is not a “mystery,” but “the Revelation of Jesus Christ …. unto His servant John.” (Rev. 1: 1). The Apocalypse, as the book is sometimes referred to, is derived from the Greek word apocalypsis which means a “disclosure,” an “uncovering,” or a “revelation.” Therefore, the book of Revelation is not to be a mystery, but, on the other hand, it is to be understood by every truly sincere Bible student. Second, Revelation is a book of prophecy and it predicts things “which must shortly come to pass.” (Rev. 1: 1). Third, the book is filled with signs and symbols, and this is the method by which God showed the future to John who faithfully “bare record” of the visions “that he saw.” (Rev. 1: 2). He, for instance, saw a beast with seven heads (Rev. 13: 1); a “great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 12: 3); and the “great whore that sitteth upon many waters” (Rev. 17: 1).

Every Bible student should know that the Bible interprets itself. Take, for example, Revelation 17: 1—“ the great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” If you look at verse 15 of the same chapter, the Scripture says, “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It is obvious that the “whore” is not a literal prostitute sitting on the Atlantic Ocean, but a representation of some kind of powerful organization that has many peoples, multitudes, nations, and tongues under her jurisdiction. And whatever the program or influence of this entity, it definitely does not operate with the blessing or approval of the Author of Revelation. Interestingly enough, throughout the Scriptures the sacred relationship of God to his obedient followers is compared to that of marriage . Notice how God feels when this relationship has degenerated into infidelity: “They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou [Israel] hast played the harlot with many lovers [following the idolatries and corrupt practices of the heathen nations about them], yet return again to Me, saith the Lord. Lift up thine eyes unto the high places [areas of idol worship and consecrated immorality], and see where thou hast not been lien with [the implication is that there is no such place that had not been defiled]. In the ways [the main ways of travel] hast thou sat for them [as a harlot looking for customers], as the Arabian in the wilderness [the hidden thief in the desert eagerly watching for travelers, or caravans, to prey upon]; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead [an attitude of impudence, brazenness, shamelessness]; thou refusedst to be ashamed… Return, thou backsliding Israel [literally, in the Hebrew, Turn back , O backturning Israel], saith the Lord…. for I am married unto you.” (Jer. 3: 1- 3, 12, 14). Therefore, a whore or harlot is used in the Bible as a symbol of a disloyal church that has left the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, and is having illicit relations with other men or leaders or gods of this world. (See Ezekiel 16 and 23 for further confirmation). With this in mind, let us now proceed to study the “woman” of Revelation 12, who is just as much a symbol of a religious organization of influence as is the “whore” of Revelation 17, and see if the “woman” is the Virgin Mary.

Revelation 12: 1 begins with John seeing a symbolic mother in the sky, “clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars.” She is pregnant and eager for her baby to arrive (verse 2), and Satan, shaped like a dragon, is present, ready “to devour her child as soon as it is born (verse 4).” Miraculously, the child escapes and is “caught up unto God, and to His throne (verse 5).”

Immediately, there are questions that arise if one tries to interpret these Scriptures literally, and conclude that this woman is the Virgin Mary. Those who believe that such is the case will say, “After all, was not the Virgin Mary the one who gave birth to the Child Jesus, and was not her Son the supreme object of the devil’s malice? Then the “woman” has to be Mary!” In answer to this let us note the following: First, John saw “a great wonder” in the sky, which he recognized at once to be of great import to the world. And although he knew Mary very well, he did not exclaim, “Behold! I see the glorified likeness of my Lord’s mother in the heaven !” Second, have you ever heard of a woman standing on the “moon” or seen one “clothed with the sun”? Third, has anyone ever seen a dragon, let alone, one with “seven heads”? Therefore, these words must have a symbolic application to literal events! And is not this what you would expect to find when “the revelation of Jesus Christ” is one which “He [Christ] sent and signified [made known by signs, or symbols] by His angel unto His servant John”? (Rev. 1: 1). And would not this be an excellent way to reveal sensitive information to His faithful followers living under a totalitarian government while at the same time seemingly presenting a jargon of words and images to the idly curious? How wise and considerate of His people is the God of the Holy Scriptures!

Three paragraphs ago, I stated that a woman, when symbolized by a whore or harlot, is an apostate people or church. But, in addition to this, the word has yet another meaning when used symbolically. Just as a whore can symbolize an impure church, a virgin can be used to symbolize a pure church . Take, for instance, the following two Scriptures: “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman ” and “For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” (Jeremiah 6: 2; II Cor. 11: 2). So could the “woman” of Revelation 12 possibly be “the true church ” and not the Virgin Mary ? Furthermore, her garment is the “sun,” and she stands on the “moon,” and wears a crown of “twelve stars.” What is the significance of “the woman” being “clothed with the sun”? During His ministry, when Jesus was in the temple at Jerusalem and the rising sun came into full view over the Mount of Olives, He pointed to it and announced His mission as the Messiah, saying, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8: 12). Malachi, the last prophet of the Old Testament, had described the Coming One as “the Sun of righteousness.” (Mal. 4: 2). Now in vision on the Isle of Patmos during the last decade of the First Century A. D., John sees “a woman clothed with the sun ”— that is, the glorious light of the “Sun of righteousness ”! It is clear that this momentous event signifies the birth of the God- man, the Messiah! The momentous news of the ages is that the long- promised Deliverer has arrived!

The pure woman— so long recognized by the now aging John to have represented God’s true followers in the Church in both the Old and New Testament times— is at last now bathed in the bright splendor of His immediate Presence! Moreover, she stands with “the moon under her feet.” The Mosaic (Old Testament) dispensation had just ended and had been succeeded by the gospel dispensation. As the moon’s lesser light is borrowed from the sun, so the sacrificial system, the Levitical priesthood, feasts, etc. had shone with a more subdued glory borrowed as types and shadows from what now had become Antitype and Substance in the full spiritual glory of the gospel era. The “woman” is wearing “a crown of twelve stars,” representing the twelve apostles. “By the figure of prolepsis [anticipation of the whole completed picture], the church is represented as fully organized with its twelve apostles before the man- child, Christ, appeared upon the scene. This is easily accounted for by the fact that it was to be thus constituted immediately after Christ should commence His ministry; and He is more especially connected with this church than with that of the former dispensation.” (Daniel and the Revelation, p. 545). To John, looking back from the end of the First Century upon a completed Apostolic Era to one described in the vision of Revelation 12 as just entering its first stages at the beginning of the Christian Era, this prolepsis would seem both logical and appropriate. Even so, with us today. After all, the events of Christ’s birth and short life here on earth as portrayed by John’s vision have proved so significant in our world’s developing history that today the entire world designates its counting of years by the initials B. C. (Before Christ) and A. D. (Anno Domini, 1 A. D.—“ in the year of the Lord,” the supposed year of his birth, though actually over four years after His entrance into the world). From all the foregoing information, it then follows that “her child,” Jesus Christ, was born to the true church. He was given to God’s faithful as a whole, including Mary, who was herself a small, but important part, of the “woman” described in John’s vision.

And who was it that inflicted suffering and temptation on the wonderful child Jesus? “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon… stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered.” (Rev. 12: 3, 4). In verse 9, we learn that the dragon is “that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world” and once sought to destroy the Christ- child. “We’re dealing with symbols! In the vision, the dragon is seen in heaven— yet Jesus, as we all know, was born on earth. So whom on earth does the dragon symbol stand for? Everyone who has heard the Christmas story knows it was King Herod who sent soldiers to Bethlehem to destroy all the baby boys there, hoping to kill Jesus among them. Herod’s soldiers missed the infant Jesus, because in a dream God had warned His parents to escape. King Herod was a puppet of the Romans. Everyone knows too about Pontius Pilate— another Roman administrator— who nailed Jesus to the cross. It was Rome that tried to destroy Jesus. The great red dragon is primarily Satan— and, secondarily, his agent Rome, acting on Satan’s behalf.

“Triumphantly, after Satan and Rome killed our Saviour, Jesus rose from the dead and ‘was caught up unto God, and to His throne’ (verse 5), where He ‘always lives’ as our High Priest ‘to make intercession’ for us (Hebrews 7: 25, 26).

“Frustrated in his attempt to kill the Son, the great red dragon now turned his hatred against the son’s mother. But the mother escaped into the ‘Wilderness, ’ to a ‘place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.’ (Rev. 12: 6).” (God Cares, Vol. 2, pp. 320, 321). As you are about to see, the experience of “the woman” [from the time of Christ’s ascension to His Father’s throne until the “remnant of her seed” appear and finish God’s work on the earth in the closing moments of human probation at the end of the world] is much more suited to the history of the church than it is to the Virgin Mary.

Go to Chapter 6 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 4

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 4 – The Thunder of Justice and the Marian Movement

The world is ready and ripe for this almost overpowering deception. In fact, the December, 1996, issue of Life magazine featured, on its front cover, a picture of a statue of Mary and the caption: “Two thousand years after the Nativity, the mother of Jesus is more BELOVED, POWERFUL, and CONTROVERSIAL than ever. The Mystery of MARY.” The ending of this article was especially of interest to me. It stated: “Mary… might lead to an ecumenical reunion of Christian churches . It might lead to a closer understanding of the teenage girl who gave birth in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago. We could come to know Mary…

“Can we ask this simple girl to guide what has become not a cult but a huge and passionate congregation, a movement requiring a hero, a worldwide flock that has long demanded more of her? That has demanded, in some instances, that she deliver her message herself? I wonder: If Mary became merely human— if people could truly touch Mary— would Mary be enough?”

Please beware, friends, of the expositors of this type of thinking, who also refer to Mary as “Co- Redeemer, Mediator, and Advocate.” First of all, nowhere in the Bible is there any reference to the Virgin Mary as being man’s “Co- redeemer.” The prophet Isaiah, when writing about Jesus Christ, said the following: “And thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer , the mighty One of Jacob.” (Isaiah 60: 16). In the New Testament, the apostles Paul and Peter each made poignant statements when referring to the price that was paid and the blood that was shed for man’s redemption. Paul said: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God [not Mary] in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” And Peter tells us what the purchase price was: “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold… But with the precious blood of Christ , as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (I Cor. 6: 19, 20; I Pet. 1: 18, 19). There can be, then, only one Redeemer— Jesus Christ, the One Who paid the ransom price of His life’s blood, thus giving up an infinite life for a lost human race. Secondly, how can Mary be our “Mediator” when the Bible explicitly warns: “Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name [than that of Jesus Christ— see verse 10] under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved ” and “For there is one God, and one mediator [not two] between God and men, the man Christ Jesus”? (Acts 4: 12; I Timothy 2: 5). Obviously, Jesus is the only Being qualified to be mankind’s Mediator. And thirdly, would the mother of Jesus ever claim to be our “Advocate” when I John 2: 1 says: “And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous ”? If the true Virgin Mary were alive, would she contradict the words of her Son? Yet, the book, The Thunder of Justice , which records many of the so- called statements made by the counterfeit Virgin Mary to different people around the world, says that Mary’s role is that of “Co- Redeemer, Mediatrix, and Advocate.” “While Calvary was first and foremost the scene of Our Lord’s Passion and death, it also caused Our Lady to suffer hidden and mystical wounds. No longer does God want the precious wounds of Our Lady to be hidden. Rather, His people are to understand the tremendous purification mankind received and will receive through devotion to Mary’s Hidden and Mystical wounds .” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 29). As if she were crucified for us also! or had an infinite life to give!

Friends, was it Mary’s wounds that Isaiah wrote about in his famous Chapter 53? Was she the one “stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted”? Was she the one “bruised for our iniquities”? or the one brought “as a lamb to the slaughter”? No! No! It was Christ! Isaiah did not mince his words when he wrote: “Surely He hath born our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed…. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted…. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth.” (Is. 53: 4- 9). It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who said: “I have trodden the winepress alone [or by Myself]; and of the people there was none with Me [not even Mary].” (Is. 63: 3).

Yet, The Thunder of Justice further claims that when the so-called Mary appears to people, some of the other blasphemous titles she uses to identify herself are the following: “The Lady of All Nations,” “The Guardian of the Faith,” “The Immaculate Conception,” “The Pure Sinless One,” “The Mother of the Church,” “Queen of the Holy Rosary,” “Our Lady of Guadalupe” (which means, “She Who Crushes the Serpent”), “His Immaculate Spouse [of the Holy Spirit],” “The Second Eve” or “The New Eve,” “The Queen of the World,” “The Queen of Heaven,” and, last but not least, “The Queen of the Coming Age.”

Please do not think that I am being disrespectful toward Mary by writing this book, for I hope and pray I will meet her on Resurrection Day, when the saints come forth from the grave.

She was indeed a wonderful Christian lady. That is why God chose her to be the mother of the Messiah. But when Satan uses her image as his means of deceiving souls , as a watchman on the walls of Zion, I must blow the trumpet. Therefore, I must take the time to expose the blasphemy implied by some of these names. First, let me address the title of “The Immaculate Conception” together with “The Pure Sinless One.” Did you know that when you mention the name “Immaculate Conception,” almost everyone believes the title applies to the virgin birth of Jesus? But that is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception, which is a Roman Catholic doctrine, doesn’t apply to Jesus at all. It refers to the birth of the Virgin Mary, who, according to the Roman Catholic Church, was conceived without the stain of original sin (see Webster’s Dictionary). This is why she is called “The Pure Sinless One.” The Bible, on the contrary, tells us plainly that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” and “there is none righteous, no not one .” (Romans 3: 23; 3: 10). Besides this, it is very clear from the genealogical records in the Bible and from the fact that Mary was a full- blooded Israelite that she was descended from Abraham on both sides of her family. Now notice this statement by the apostle Paul in Hebrews 2: 16 concerning the human nature of Jesus: “For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham.” And Abraham dwelt in fallen, human flesh 2000 years after Adam and Eve were expelled from Eden and several centuries after God destroyed the world by a Flood for the great wickedness of man. Yet, the Catholic Church and the Marian Movement would like us to believe that Mary was holy. In fact, the well- known Catholic prayer, “Hail Mary,” includes the words: “Holy Mary , Mother of God , pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death,” which words the Roman Catholic Church admits in A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, p. 27, were composed by the Church itself under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, not once in Scripture is Mary called “holy Mary,” but, on the contrary, the Scriptures authored by the Holy Spirit (II Pet. 1: 21), when referring to Jesus, call Him “that holy thing” and “Thy holy child Jesus.” (Luke 1: 35; Acts 4: 30). Christ is the only person in the Bible whose human birth is described thus!

Still again, The Thunder of Justice contradicts the Word of God when referring to what has been labeled the “Assumption”: “Mary was assumed into heaven… Because of her sinlessness, her body did not have to undergo corruption in the grave …. The Church has always held the truth about Mary’s Assumption, and in 1950 it was formally declared to be part of the Catholic dogma by Pope Pius XII .” (Ibid., p. 44). This doctrine, therefore, has now received the stamp of papal infallibility. But has it the stamp of Scriptural authority? If we study our Bibles to see whether “those things were so,” as did the faithful Bereans as recorded in Acts 17: 11, we will, in fact, learn that the only mortals that have been taken into heaven from Adam unto this day are Enoch, Moses, Elijah, and many saints that were resurrected with Christ when He rose from the dead. The Bible says of Enoch: “And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him” (Gen. 5: 24); of Elijah, the Word says: “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (II Kings 2: 1); of Moses, Jude 9 says: “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses,” and Matthew 17: 1- 3 says that when Jesus was “transfigured…. there appeared unto them [Peter, James, and John] Moses and Elias [Elijah] talking with Him.” In this awesome scene, Jesus had given to the three disciples that were watching, a glimpse of His glory, and the two mighty men of God that appeared with Him were perfect representatives of every person who will be saved throughout history. Moses, though having died, was resurrected by Christ, and thus, as it were, was a pledge to all who die in Christ— that they, too, will come forth from the grave at the resurrection of the righteous (John 5: 28, 29; I Thess. 4: 16), and Elijah was a type of all the saved who will be alive and translated when Christ comes the second time. (I Thess. 4: 17). To see that such is a proper interpretation, read Matthew 16: 27, 28— 17: 1- 3 and compare with Peter’s own evaluation in II Peter 1: 16- 18.

In addition to the three patriarchs mentioned above, there was a host of saints that came out of their graves at Christ’s resurrection. Matthew 27: 51- 53 states: “The earth did quake… And the graves were opened: and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” Ephesians 4: 8 tells us that these people, more trophies, were taken to Heaven at Christ’s ascension: “Wherefore he saith, When He ascended up on high, He led Captivity captive (or “a multitude of captives”— margin ), and gave gifts unto men.” These heroes of faith were raised as a part of the antitypical offering of “firstfruits” from the grave with Jesus and as a pledge of the final great harvest of the rest of the redeemed on Resurrection Day at His Second Coming! On the other hand, it is also interesting to note that in addition to the definition given to the word “Assumption” by the Roman Catholic Church— namely, “the bodily taking up into heaven of the Virgin Mary”— the word’s primary definition, according to Webster’s College Dictionary, is: “something taken for granted; a supposition; or to assume as true.” Today I know more about the “Assumption” than when I was attending Catholic schools, because while there, I assumed it was truth.

Furthermore, I find it strange that the Apostle John, who lived a number of years after all the other disciples had died and who wrote the Gospel of John and the Apocalypse during the mid 90’s A. D. (when he was an old man), never once mentioned anything about Mary’s having been taken to Heaven, as Rome claims. John, of all the disciples, would have been the final authority on this matter. Please notice why. As Christ’s death on the cross drew near, Jesus beheld His mother and His Disciple John standing beside her at the foot of the cross. As He gazed into her grief- stricken face and then upon John, “He saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son! Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her… unto his own home .” (John 19: 26, 27). Christ had made John His mother’s caretaker for as long as she should live! “John understood Christ’s words, and accepted the trust. He at once took Mary to his home, and from that hour he cared for her tenderly. O pitiful, loving Saviour; amid all His physical pain and mental anguish, He had a thoughtful care for His mother…. and in receiving her as a sacred trust, John was receiving a great blessing. She was a constant reminder of his beloved Master .” (The Desire of Ages, p. 752). And John wrote about this matter in the Gospel of John not long before his own death, at a time when Mary, his senior by 25 to 30 years or more, was undoubtedly dead. Why, then, did not John record anything about her “Assumption” in Sacred Writ? Because it just did not happen! For she, just like the beloved apostle, is peacefully sleeping in the grave until that climactic day when she will once again hear the voice of her Son, calling her from the grave on Resurrection Morn!

But it is true that Mary was “highly favoured” [or graciously accepted— see Bible margin] by God and “blessed… among women” (Luke 1: 28), because she had been chosen by God to conceive [miraculously]… in her womb “and bring forth a son,” whose name she should call “Jesus.” (Luke 1: 31). But, the very next verse pinpoints the only One in the verse who deserves to be extolled: “He [Jesus] shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” (Luke 1: 32, 33). In fact, just a few verses later, after Mary had conceived and had gone to visit her cousin Elizabeth, Mary plainly declares with her own lips: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour .” (Luke 1: 46, 47). Please notice, that Mary humbly acknowledged that the child within her womb was the Son of God— the long- promised Messiah and Deliverer of mankind, Who had consented to become a member of the human race in order to save it, Whom she was to name Jesus, and Who was, just as He is for every person in the world, her Saviour —for the name Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation, or “Saviour” [Matt. 1: 21, margin].

Mary held no illusions that she was the “Mother of God” [words of Catholic origin and part of the “Hail Mary”], for no member of the Godhead had an original mother. “Yahweh” (or “Jehovah”) was the “Self- existent One,” the basic meaning of the term, or the Great “I AM.” Moses, who talked with the “I AM” for a period of forty years, clearly understood this. In Psalm 90, of which he is the author, he wrote, “Even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” And the prophecy in Micah 5: 2 that pinpointed Bethlehem of Judea as the birthplace of the promised Messiah describes Him as One “Whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting [‘ the days of eternity’— margin].” Rather, Mary realized that she was “blessed among women” to be so “highly favoured” as to become the human instrument by which a member of the Godhead could become incarnate as a human being to effect the rescue of a lost human race. She was the mother of the Messiah, the God- man, when He transferred His original existence into a human one. He became the Son of man, but He remained Deity— the Son of God.

Mary always knew and kept her proper place. When Gabriel told her of the miraculous manner in which she would conceive a child through the agency of the Holy Spirit and that “therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God…. For with God nothing shall be impossible,” her humble response was, “Behold the handmaid [female slave, Greek] of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1: 35, 37, 38). The word “handmaid” in the Greek is doule, which means slave, involuntary or voluntary (as in Mary’s case). The word actually describes real slavery, bondage, or servitude; but even when its usage was meant to be qualified to indicate a perceived relationship to another, as in Mary’s foregoing acknowledgment, it still indicated an attitude of subjection or subserviency by the user. In any event, it is obvious from Mary’s words that she was very humbly compliant with God’s will.

This is also apparent again when she arrives at the home of her cousin Elizabeth, mother- tobe of John the Baptist— Christ’s messenger to announce His arrival and mission— and exchanges initial greetings with her, both being under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. After Elizabeth had acknowledged Mary as “the mother of my Lord” (Luke 1: 43), Mary replied, as already noted above, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. ” But note carefully her attitude expressed in her next remarks: “For He hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1: 46- 48). “Low” in the Greek comes from a word with the connotation of “humiliation” or “abasement,” and is very appropriately used with her choice of “handmaiden,” or submissive “female slave.” She is saying, “Socially, prestige- wise, I am a nobody.” But then she quickly acknowledges the fact that it is the child she bears Who is the Hero and Whose mighty achievements will be so wonderful and so permanent that all future generations, even in eternity, will call her “blessed” for being the willing human agent, in cooperation with God, to make the reality of mankind’s redemption possible. It is hard to imagine a woman who possessed such demonstrated humility now emerging in today’s world as a person assuming such presumptuous titles and boastful achievements as those listed in this chapter, which exalt her to a position of Deity. Interestingly enough, there is not one prayer to Mary in the entire Bible— not one instance of her miraculously helping anyone, nor any promise that she could or would. Jesus is the Savior of the world, the Lamb that was slain, the Sin- bearer with whose stripes and wounds we are healed, the Resurrection and the Life, our High Priest and Mediator before the Father, the “Seed” of the woman who would crush the “serpent’s” head, the descendant of David who was to become ruler on David’s throne forever and ever. In fact, dear friends, notice this beautiful and unequivocal prophecy of the Messiah’s birth and eventual rulership on the throne of His human ancestor David as given by the “gospel prophet” Isaiah: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God , The Everlasting Father , The Prince of Peace . Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9: 6, 7). This prophecy, dear friend, includes all of Heaven’s intent!

Go to Chapter 5 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 3

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 3 – Modern Day Spiritualism– a Masterpiece of Deception

So why the deception? Because spiritualism lives! As long as there is a devil, there will be spiritualism. And as long as spiritualism lives, the lie— that in death there is continuing life— will be perpetuated! And this bias will often affect the work of otherwise well- meaning translators. Have you not noticed how more and more movies and their plots are being centered around the dead communicating with the living? Satan is working with added enthusiasm in these last days, because he knows that his time is short and that one of his best tools for bringing the world under his deceptive control is spiritualism, based on his great lie that there is in man an immortal spirit that continues on after death and that it is possible for the living to receive vital light and benefit by communicating with the spirits of dead loved ones. These cherished dead can be convincingly impersonated in form, feature, sound of voice, and factual information unknown except by the living participant( s) and the “dead” communicant, as well as by Satan and his fallen angels, who are constantly seeking to cause the multitudes of earth to follow a demonic agenda in direct opposition to Christ’s great gospel commission to prepare the world for His coming and the final end of Satan and his kingdom.

Thus, “the doctrine of man’s consciousness in death, especially the belief that the spirits of the dead return to minister to the living, has prepared the way for modern spiritualism. If the dead are admitted to the presence of God and holy angels, and privileged with knowledge far exceeding what they before possessed, why should they not return to the earth to enlighten and instruct the living? If, as taught by popular theologians, the spirits of the dead are hovering about their friends on earth, why should they not be permitted to communicate with them, to warn them against evil, or to comfort them in sorrow? How can those who believe in man’s consciousness in death reject what comes to them as divine light communicated from glorified spirits? Here is a channel regarded as sacred, through which Satan works for the accomplishment of his purposes. The fallen angels who do his bidding appear as messengers from the spirit world. While professing to bring the living into communication with the dead, the prince of evil exercises his bewitching influence upon their minds.

“He has power to bring before men the appearance of their departed friends. The counterfeit is perfect; the familiar look, the words, the tone, are reproduced with marvelous distinctness. Many are comforted with the assurance that their loved ones are enjoying the bliss of heaven; and without suspicion of danger, they give ear ‘to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. ’

“When they have been led to believe that the dead actually return to communicate with them, Satan causes those to appear who went into the grave unprepared. They claim to be happy in heaven and even to occupy exalted positions there, and thus the error is widely taught that no difference is made between the righteous and the wicked. The pretended visitants from the world of spirits sometimes utter cautions and warnings which prove to be correct. Then, as confidence is gained, they present doctrines that directly undermine faith in the Scriptures. With an appearance of deep interest in the well- being of their friends on earth, they insinuate the most dangerous errors. The fact that they state some truths, and are able at times to foretell future events, gives to their statements an appearance of reliability; and their false teachings are accepted by the multitudes as readily, and believed as implicitly, as if they were the most sacred truths of the Bible. The law of God is set aside, the Spirit of grace despised, the blood of the covenant counted an unholy thing. The spirits deny the deity of Christ and place even the Creator on a level with themselves. Thus under a new disguise the great rebel still carries on his warfare against God, begun in heaven and for nearly six thousand years continued upon this earth…. Many will be ensnared through the belief that spiritualism is a merely human imposture; when brought face to face with manifestations which they cannot but regard as supernatural, they will be deceived, and will be led to accept them as the great power of God.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 551- 553).

Therefore, Satan, in his efforts to deceive the very elect in these last days, will use his demons to impersonate our departed loved ones in the form of familiar spirits : boyfriends and girlfriends, grandfathers and grandmothers, uncles and aunts, brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers. So why not a masterpiece of deception— a demon impersonating the mother of Jesus Christ!!!

Go to Chapter 4 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 2

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by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 2 – The First Lie– Man’s Immortality

In the very beginning of earth’s history, Satan, while in the form of a serpent, told the first lie to Eve. He told her that if she disobeyed the command of God not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she would “not surely die, ” even though God had expressly warned her that “in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die .” (See Genesis 3: 4; 2: 17). Satan treacherously assured her (another monstrous lie) that upon eating the fruit “your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods , knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3: 5). Friends, are we still believing the devil today? The Bible is quite clear that only God “hath immortality .” (I Tim. 6: 16). In fact, the Bible, on the other hand, contains a number of Scriptures that prove that mortal man receives not his immortality until the second coming of Christ— at the time of the resurrection. (I Cor. 15: 51- 55; John 5: 28, 29). Now please note these unequivocal and authoritative pronouncements on the condition of man in death from Ecclesiastes 9: 5 and 10: “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything …. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.”

I remember the first time I ever read these Scriptures. I immediately wondered why I had always believed that a dead person could speak to me if he so chose. Was this another error of the Roman Church that had been sold to me by the priests? After all, according to the Bible, are not seances meetings in which the devil tries to send his deadly messages to unwary people through a human medium who is supposed to be able to communicate with the so- called spirits of the dead? The greatest of all seances in the Bible occurred when Saul went to the Witch of Endor , described in the Scriptures as “a woman that hath a familiar spirit”— that is, a woman who received messages from an evil angel who claimed to be the “spirit” of a particular dead person usually known to the seeker— and asked her to bring up Samuel from the dead since “the Lord answered him not , neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets?” (I Sam. 28: 6, 7). Since when does a man of God go to the devil for advice when the Lord explicitly said: “Regard not them that have familiar spirits,… to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God”? (Lev. 19: 31; see also Isa. 8: 19, 20). The Bible plainly states: “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence;” for when a man dies, “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish .” (Ps. 115: 17; 146: 4).

So why do most people, both Christians and non- Christians, believe the doctrine of the immortality of the soul? I believe the problem exists because of a misinterpretation of Scripture. In Genesis 2: 7, the Bible says: “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ; and man became a living soul.” The Hebrew word for “soul” used in this text is nephesh. Besides being translated 428 times as “soul” in the Old Testament, nephesh is also translated as the following: life— 119 times; person— 29 times; and creature— 19 times. “There is nothing in the words translated ‘soul’ or in their usage in the Bible that even remotely implies a conscious entity that survives the body after death, or that attributes immortality to it. Nephesh is not part of the person; it is the person!” (Bible Dictionary by Siegfried H. Horn, Ph. D., p. 1061).

I believe the confusion stems from a misinterpretation of verses like the following: “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecclesiastes 12: 7). Many people use this verse in an attempt to prove that the “soul” or “spirit” is, therefore, immortal and goes to God at the point of death. But, if you look at Job 27: 3, you will find a Scripture that will help you understand that the “spirit” is simply the breath of life by which man lives, and which is only lent him of God, and at death goes back to the Great Author of life—“ All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils.” The Hebrew word used here for spirit is ruach, which is defined in Gesenius’ Lexicon as follows: (a) spirit or breath; (b) breath of the nostrils; (c) breath of air. When the spirit, or breath of the nostrils, goes back to God, the body, made originally from the dust of the earth, now begins its process of going back to the earth as it was and ceases to function as normally, and the nonbreathing individual no longer exists as a living, conscious, thinking being, but will rest in the grave until he is called forth by the voice of Christ “at the last day.” (John 6: 39). “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice , And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life ; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation .” (John 5: 28, 29). The righteous dead will rise at the second coming of Christ and together with the living saints will meet the Lord in the air (see I Thess. 4: 15- 18), but the wicked dead will not rise until one thousand years after the resurrection of the righteous. “But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished.” (Rev. 20: 5). How can someone “live again” except he has first experienced having died?

By now, friends, you may be asking yourself the question: “How can the Virgin Mary be alive when the Bible so clearly tells us there is no consciousness in death?” To further establish the point, let us look at a few more Scriptures that prove that man is mortal. In the Book of Job, we read: “Man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost [breatheth out; Strong’s Concordance], and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more [the heavens roll back at Christ’s second coming (Rev. 6: 14)], they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.” (Job 14: 10- 12). And if that weren’t clear enough, Job continues: “If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come . Thou shalt call, and I will answer thee.” (Job 14: 14, 15). Obviously, Job believed that he would sleep in the grave until Jesus called him out on Resurrection Morning. (See also Job 17: 13- 16). After all, it was Jesus who spoke of death as a sleep when referring to Lazarus’s state. He never once implied that Lazarus had gone to heaven, but, on the contrary, said, “Our friend Lazarus sleepeth; but I go that I may awake him out of sleep.” (John 11: 11). Then in John 11: 23, Jesus tells Martha, “Thy brother shall rise again,” and Martha responds, “I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.” Jesus, in calling Lazarus from the tomb, said, “Lazarus, come forth (John 11: 43),” not “Lazarus, come up!” or “Lazarus, come down!” I believe that Jesus’ use of the word sleep is a very appropriate synonym when used in place of the word death (the first death), because the word implies a temporary state— a state from which every soul “shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt [the second death (see Rev. 20: 12- 14)].” (Daniel 12: 2).

The great teacher, the apostle Paul, clearly understood that he, too, would sleep in the grave until the second coming of Christ: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure [death] is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day : and not to me only, but unto all them also that love His [Christ’s] appearing.” (II Tim. 4: 6- 8). Paul knew, as did Martha, that not until the resurrection of the last day, at the second coming of Christ, would he receive the reward of eternal life and be changed from mortality to immortality. Remember, it was Paul who told us in the Sacred Word that mortal man will not put on immortality until the last trumpet blast that calls forth the righteous dead at the coming of Jesus: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [for some will be living when Christ comes], but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible [the Virgin Mary also], and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality [Please notice when this happens— not at death, but at the second coming of Christ].” (I Cor. 15: 51- 53). Earlier in the chapter, Paul stated: “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [Christ] came also the resurrection of the dead . For as in Adam all die , even so in Christ shall all be made alive . But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming .” (I Cor. 15: 20- 23).

To solidify this position, let us now look at the request of the thief on the cross, who was crucified next to Jesus as recorded in Luke, Chapter 23. The repentant thief, believing Jesus was indeed the Son of God, “said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when Thou comest into Thy kingdom.” To this request Jesus responded, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou [thou shalt] be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23: 42, 43). Those who believe in the doctrine of the immortality of the soul often refer to these Scriptures to prove that the spirit of the dead goes immediately to Heaven at the time of death. But let us take a closer look at Luke 23. First, we need to understand that the comma placed before the word “today” was supplied by the translators. If you place it after the word “today,” it would then read, “Verily I say unto thee today, thou shalt be with me in Paradise.” (Luke 23: 43). Second, Jesus did not ascend into Heaven as He died, for in John 20: 17, He told Mary in the early morning of His memorable resurrection: “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father .” It should also be noted that this statement was made two days after His death on the cross. Thus, the repentant thief was given, that day [Good Friday— the day of the crucifixion], the assurance of eternal life and a place in Paradise, but he, as with the rest of the righteous dead, would not receive his reward until Jesus comes the second time. (See Rev. 22: 12).

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All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive? Chapter 1

by

by Danny Vierra

Is the Virgin Mary Dead or Alive booklChapter 1 – My Early Adoration of the Virgin Mary

Growing up as a young Catholic boy in a middle- class family, I was sent by my parents to Annunciation School, where I received my grammar school education. While attending the school for eight years, I was required to attend Mass every Sunday at the Cathedral of the Annunciation, where I would eventually serve for a couple of years as an altar boy, assisting the priests. How I remember the beauty of the Cathedral— the 30- foot- high ceilings, the beautiful mosaic windows, the gold articles of furniture, the purple and scarlet colors, and the statues of the Saints, Mother Mary, and Baby Jesus.

It was not long before the Virgin Mary became as important to me as Jesus Himself. I had a fervent and devoted love for her. I prayed thousands of Hail Marys throughout my younger years, sometimes while kneeling in front of one of the statues of the “Mother of God.” Mary was everywhere. I remember the statue of the Madonna (Italian for my lady) in my mother’s garden and the Madonna vase on her dresser. In the vase were palm leaves, holy cards, and rosary beads. Because of my Italian heritage and my membership in the Church of Rome, I soon learned to respect and reverence the Virgin Mary as being holy and sacred. I heard her name mentioned far more times than that of Jesus, and she soon became my most precious “mediator” to the throne of God.

It was not until I graduated from Annunciation School [the “Annunciation,” according to Roman Catholic teachings, is the announcement which the Angel Gabriel made to the Virgin Mary when he told her that she was to be the mother of Jesus Christ, as related in Luke 1: 26- 38, and celebrated on March 25, as Lady Day] and was accepted into St. Mary’s High School [another school dedicated to the Virgin Mary], where I was to receive the next four years of my education, that I began to question the teachings of Catholicism. The nuns at Annunciation, who were my sole teachers for eight years, had taught me about our first parents, Adam and Eve, who were created by God and lived in the Garden of Eden. But while attending St. Mary’s, where I was to receive my higher education, I suffered a great disappointment that I will never forget. I remember so well the day the priest, who taught my religion class, told me, along with the other students, that the story of Adam and Eve was not to be taken literally. It was merely a story in the Bible— not a fact ! My world was shattered and my confidence in the teachings and doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church was marred. I, therefore, began to question the system as a whole. Had I been lied to my first eight years of schooling? and were there other doctrines that I had been taught that were not true?

Twenty years later, I finally decided to search the Scriptures for myself. As I studied the Word of God, I discovered many truths that I had never learned while attending Catholic schools. In fact, I found many of the doctrines of Rome to be contrary to the Bible. One doctrine, for instance, was the doctrine of the immortality of the soul— the doctrine of man’s consciousness in death. What happens to a person when he dies? Does his soul live on forever in the form of a spirit that floats up into Heaven, where he will enjoy eternity, or down into Hell, where he will be tormented forever? How would the priests who “straightened me out” in regards to the Creation story explain these Scriptures: “The soul that sinneth it shall die” (Ezekiel 18: 20) and “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake , some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt”? (Dan. 12: 2).

Have you noticed the thousands of billboards that have appeared throughout this country in the past few years urging you to call for a message from the Virgin Mary? “Why are two billion Hail Marys said daily? Why did five million people, many non- Christian, visit Lourdes this year to drink the healing waters? Why did more than 10 million trek to Guadalupe to pray to Our Lady? Why have 15,000 priests gone to Medjugorje since 1981? Why is it that more girls have been named for Mary than any other historical figure?… Why the need to talk with her? Why are Mary hymns creeping into Methodist songbooks?” (Life, Dec., 1996, p. 45). Where is the Virgin Mary right now, anyway? Is she in heaven with Jesus, or in New York, or in Florida? Or is she in the grave sleeping until Jesus comes? What about all the reported miracles, visions, appearances, messages, predictions, weeping statues, and bleeding icons? What is it about Mary? According to those of the “Marian Movement,” over 300 apparitions, significant enough to merit attention (for there have been thousands reported), have occurred since Fatima. “Fatima is the key Marian apparition of the Twentieth Century. In fact, Pope Pius XII noted that the message of Fatima is one of the greatest interventions of God through Mary in world history since the death of the Apostles.” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 132).

The December 30, 1991, issue of Time magazine reported that “the late 20th century has become the age of the Marian pilgrimage ” to many shrines established to commemorate the many sightings of the Virgin Mary in recent years. “These apparitions have brought millions of people to faith in Catholicism’s Mary. The shrine at Lourdes, France, attracts about 5.5 million pilgrims annually; Poland’s Black Madonna draws 5 million; Fatima, Portugal, ‘draws a steady 4.5 million pilgrims a year from an ever- widening array of countries. ’ Since John Paul II visited the shrine of Mary at Knock, Ireland, ‘attendance has doubled to 1.5 million people each year. To handle the influx, a new international airport was opened at Knock in 1986. ’ A ‘Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine’ has recently opened in Orlando, Florida. The shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe near Mexico City ‘draws 20 million visitors a year’….‘ Mary, ’ a goddess suitable for all religions, is already adored by a quarter of earth’s population. ” (A Woman Rides the Beast, pp. 453, 454, 457). Unquestionably, Marian apparitions are attracting a huge following, considerably larger than Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, which reported an incredible fifteen million visitors in 1996.

Years ago, “Saint Louis de Montfort, in the Seventeenth Century, wrote about what it would be like for the church in the latter days, and the role of Mary in that plan. He stated, ‘In the Second Coming of the Lord, Mary will be made known in a special way by the Holy Spirit so that through her, Jesus may be better known and served …. Mary will shine forth higher than ever in these last days to bring back poor sinners who have strayed from the family of God…. Mary will raise up apostles of the latter times to make war against the evil one. ’” (The Thunder of Justice, p. 73). Later, “Pope John Paul II wrote in his 1987 encyclical Redemptoris Mater that Marian apparitions signify that the Blessed Virgin’s journey through time and space is a pilgrimage toward the Second Coming of Jesus and her final victory over Satan. This is her role now as it has been predestined from the beginning.” (Ibid., p. 19).

Certainly from the statements above, one might be led to regard Mary as the most important being there is, greater than Jesus Himself. But if you study the Bible, while praying for guidance from the Holy Spirit to define the Word and make its truths known, I believe you will plainly see that not only are the above statements erroneous and deceptive, but that Mary’s involvement in future events is utterly impossible!

Go to Chapter 2 ⇒

All emphases in this article are mine.
Published by Modern Manna Ministries