Revelation 13

God continues to reveal to us what we need to know for our salvation. It is always up to us to remain engaged and to pray for insight into the Word of God, who has no beginning and no end, who is the way and the truth and the life (see Jn 14:6) and wants us to be with Him forever.

The Prophet Daniel sought knowledge through prayer and fasting, and God responded in His mercy. St. John the Evangelist, exiled to the island of Patmos for his “testimony to Jesus” (Rev. 1:9), sought wisdom. God revealed great things to him about the present and the future. Our Lord is eager to help us understand our present trials; we must increase in our capacity and desire to know more (see Jn 16:12).

The Jubilee Years

2025 Jubilee Year SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5).

In keeping with the tradition of celebrating a jubilee year every 25 years, Pope Francis is preparing us for the extraordinary grace our Lord wants to give us to be able to receive and experience God’s mercy in 2025 and beyond. Our Lord always provides what we need to persevere in tribulation.

Pope St. John Paul II introduced the Jubilee Year of 2000

as a celebration of the beginning of the third millennium, and more importantly, as the 2000th anniversary of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is forever present to us in all of our needs. Note: scripture scholars believe that Jesus was actually born between 6-4 BC. See “Chronology of Jesus.”

“The birth of Jesus at Bethlehem is not an event which can be consigned to the past. The whole of human history in fact stands in reference to him: our own time and the future of the world are illumined by his presence. He is “the Living One” (Rev 1:18), “who is, who was and who is to come” (Rev 1:4). Before him every knee must bend, in the heavens, on earth and under the earth, and every tongue proclaim that he is Lord (cf. Phil 2:10-11). In the encounter with Christ, every man discovers the mystery of his own life.” (Incarnationis Mysterium, chpt. 1, para. 3)

2025 brings us to the 2000th anniversary

of the beginning of our Lord’s public ministry, and 2028 the 2000th anniversary of his Death and Resurrection. This event puts us into the “third day” of the End Times. Our Lord will return in glory. The second coming of Jesus Christ will bring an end to the tribulation and a beginning to The Thousand-year Reign.

“For us believers, the Jubilee Year will highlight the Redemption accomplished by Christ in his Death and Resurrection. After this Death, no one can be separated from the love of God (cf. Rm 8:21-39), except through their own fault. The grace of mercy is offered to everyone, so that all who have been reconciled may also be “saved by his life” (Rm 5:10).”(Incarnationis Mysterium, chpt. 6, para. 2)

Rest Assured by Our Lady of Apocalypse

The Book of the Prophet Daniel and the Book of Revelation provide insight about the end times. We can only understand it as we live through the time of Tribulation with the help of Our Lady of Apocalypse. God said:

“Go, Daniel,” he said, “because the words are to be kept secret and sealed until the end time. Many shall be refined, purified, and tested, but the wicked shall prove wicked; the wicked shall have no understanding, but those with insight shall. From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the desolating abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed are they who have patience and persevere for the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. Go, take your rest, you shall rise for your reward at the end of days.” (Dn 12:9-13)

Our Blessed Mother, known here as Our Lady of Fatima, appeared to three shepherd children, Lucia (10), Francisco (9) and Jacinta (7) at Fatima, Portugal in 1917 over a period of 6 months, which culminated with the Miracle of the Sun. She gave three secrets to these children to help us understand the times in which we are living.

The first two secrets included a vision of Hell. Revealed in the 1930’s, they beseech us to repent of our sins by making acts of reparation. In response, we offer sacrifices of prayer, self-mortification and works of charity. Our Lady of Fatima is Our Lady of Apocalypse. She refers to herself as Our Lady of the Rosary and she specifically requested that we pray the Rosary. Additionally, we should consecrate Russia to the Immaculate Heart Mary, as well as ourselves. She revealed these secrets during World War I. She warned us about World War II and also warned about the annihilation of various nations in the near future if we do not repent.

The Third Secret of Our Lady of Apocalypse

The Third Secret, revealed in the year 2000, was accompanied by a Theological Commentary from Cardinal Ratzinger, then the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. On April 19, 2005, he became Pope Benedict XVI. As a preface to his guide on how to interpret the three secrets, he makes a distinction between Public Revelation (Sacred Scripture) and private revelations. He writes:

“In the private revelations approved by the Church – and therefore also in Fatima – this is the point: they help us to understand the signs of the times and to respond to them rightly in faith.” The apparitions and messages of Our Lady of Fatima can help us understand what we read in Sacred Scripture, specifically in reference to the “time of trial” that we read about in the Book of Revelation.

The First Beast (Rev. 13: 1-10)

The Second Beast (Rev. 13: 11-18)