The blog header depicts an important and yet mis-understood New Testament scene, Jesus flogging the money-changers out of the temple. I selected it because the faith that gives us consolation can also make us very uncomfortable. Both Divine Mercy and Divine Justice meet in Jesus. Priests are ministers of reconciliation, but never at the cost of truth. In or out of season, we must be courageous in preaching and living out the Gospel of Life. The title of my blog is a play on words, not Flogger Priest but Blogger Priest.
Given his identity as a divine Person and the Savior, there is no avoiding the significance of Christ’s constant emphasis upon the reality and prospect of hell for many. Those critics who are quick to say that Jesus does not judge are fooling themselves and are in denial about our Lord’s stance in the Gospels. Indeed, while the number 144,000 for the Elect in the Book of Revelation may be symbolic, it is telling that the Bible admits to only a select few being saved. While there is a universal call to salvation, the unpleasant truth remains that while all humanity is the beneficiary of redemption, many misuse their freedom in rejecting the gift of salvation. We might hope and pray that the devil is lonely and that most go to heaven, but this is neither indicated by Scripture nor by the constant evidence of human iniquity. Indeed, the many apparitions of Mary attest to hell. The vision given to the children of Fátima is particularly frightening:
01. “. . . a vast sea of fire. Plunged in this fire, we saw the demons and the souls of the damned.”
02. “The latter were like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, having human forms.”
03. “They were floating about in that conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames which issued from within themselves, together with great clouds of smoke.”
04. “Now they fell back on every side like sparks in huge fires, without weight or equilibrium, amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair . . .”
05. “The demons were distinguished from the souls of the damned by their terrifying and repellent likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like burning coals.”
The main element of the vision is fire. Lúcia admits that if it were not for the Blessed Mother’s promise of protection, they would have died from fright at the horrendous spectacle. It is interesting that she discerns a distinction between damned humanity and angelic demons. Men and women retain their human forms even though they have been blackened by the flames and have become translucent, thus lacking substance.
It is peculiar that the damned are thrashed about by explosive flames from within themselves. Note what Jesus says in John 14:23, “Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.” As with the natural world, the supernatural hates vacuum. Either we become temples to the Spirit of God and grace or else, something demonic will come to nest in the human heart. Hell is not simply around them but inside them.
The demons are similarly burned and transparent but are in the form of terrible beasts or monsters. There is nothing left of their angelic beauty.
While the term “antichrist” is reserved to the letters of John, that does not mean the rest of Scripture or Church tradition is silent on the subject. Given the importance of God’s revelation, we should examine the warnings of such prophecy with an inquisitive and sober faith. It is crucial to be informed about such a troubling figure. Of course, it is even more vital that we know and have a relationship with the Lord. While the word “antichrist” is seldom used in Scripture to identify an enemy of the Lord’s people, the word “Trinity” is not mentioned in the Bible at all, and yet, it is the most important revelation from Christ about the identity of God.
Concurring with the Church fathers, it is not a great stretch to associate the “antichrist” with the Pauline “man of lawlessness.” Our Lord tells us in 1 John 2:18 that there are “many antichrists.” This should not surprise us. How often have we attributed to the chief devil Satan what has transpired from his underling demons. No analogy can be made with the communion of saints; rather, there is always a parasitical relationship when it comes to evil. One cannot understand the devil and the damned without an appreciation of Legion and “their” relationship in spiritual manipulation, obsession and possession. I am reminded of the dictator Adolf Hitler. Everyone wonders how such a wicked man could come to power; and yet, he seduced much of a nation as accomplices in his horrific acts. Remember, he never personally or immediately tortured or murdered anyone; but he orchestrated the politics of hate and gave the orders. While there is likely a hierarchy, all who oppose Christ are antichrists.
Rejecting God & Denying that Jesus Christ is Lord
Our Lord also tells us that the antichrist is not simply one who has wicked designs or who commits overt sin. The bar is way lower than that. The title is granted to any who would deny that Jesus Christ is Lord (1 John 2:22). This goes far beyond the Jews of old who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Jewish messiah. It would today include the vocal atheists who argue that Jesus did not rise from the dead and that there is no God or any source for intelligent design behind creation. They would reduce the universe to mathematics and chaos, two odd bedfellows for sure. Their assessment is damnable because such signifies that there is no ultimate meaning and that we are merely a cosmic accident. Thus, we are not loved by something unseen and when we die, we become merely the fodder for worms.
Oddly, it would sometimes seem that the atheist places greater credence in the devil than he does in almighty God. Noteworthy is the Satanic Temple, a pseudo-church for atheists who officially claim not to believe in either Satan or God. Viewing much of religion as superstition, they formally promote agnosticism. However, their feigned Satanism may be more real than they know, given their active promotion of abortion as their formal worship (check their website). The devil may most infest the souls of those who deny or doubt his existence. Abortion or child sacrifice was traditionally viewed as the chief worship of pagan idolaters toward false gods, regarded by the Church as the feeding of demons.
Those who are antichrists (note the plural) are preeminently fools. They are misled and they allow themselves to be misled. The evil that seduces them offers nothing of hope and joy. It targets God and people of faith with hatred or indifference. Rejecting God, the only thing they might possibly merit is deep existential despair.
The Spirit of the Antichrist
The antichrist is not merely someone or something coming (future tense); extending back some 2,000 years, we are told that “the spirit of the antichrist” was already in the world (1 John 4:2-3). While all the real power was with the Spirit of God, the spirit of the antichrist wrestled within divine providence for the souls of men. It was the terrible dynamo for the devil’s forces in a cosmic clash between kingdoms. Satan could not fathom the parables and a paradigm shift where love was stronger than hate and the cross was transformed from a sign of defeat to one of victory.
The spirit of the antichrist has Judas point Jesus out in the garden, betraying him with a kiss. It fueled the indignation of Caiaphas in condemning Jesus before the Sanhedrin. Like smoke, the air was thick with this dark spirit. Indeed, Pilate’s stark stoicism was shaken by this spirit. He was taken aback by the rumors about Jesus and was shocked by the cries of the crowd, “Crucify him! Crucify him?” Warned by his wife’s dream and struggling with the “truth” about Jesus as a king and an innocent man, he discerned something of the antichrist’s invisible presence enveloping Jerusalem. It was a twilight time of darkness and shadows. Fearful as the procurator over a rebellious nation, he gave the crowd what they wanted. Either from personal regret or as spite against the religious leaders, he labeled the Cross with a parchment, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The crowd announced that “We have no king but Caesar!” Who would reign, Christ or antichrist? Christ’s followers would know persecutions, first by their own Jewish people and later by Rome. Caesar or the Emperor Nero would be identified as antichrist. But he would not be the last.
Also noted by Christ is that his own will confess that he has come in the flesh. Those who deny this truth are branded as guilty of deception and as antichrists (2 John 1:7). The apostle John speaks of the flesh of Christ in reference both to the incarnation and to the Eucharist. How many today might exclusively look to an earthly historical Christ (locked in the past) or to a biblical Christ (locked in the pages of a book)? Many may claim Christ but as a human prophet or sage, not as saving Lord. They fail to appreciate that we must encounter him now and in our lives. Otherwise, any relationship with him is inconsequential. Increasingly, I see shocked expressions when I exclaim, “Jesus is God!” The spirit of the antichrist cannot assail the real Christ so it must fashion a parody that is not divine and has no power to save.
The Antichrist versus the Eucharistic Christ
Millions of Christian believers claim Jesus but repudiate Catholicism and its Eucharistic Christ. And yet, along with his saving Word (which disposes us to the unbloody re-presentation of his oblation of the Cross and his Eucharistic real presence), this is the chief way in which we encounter and receive him. The kingdom of Christ and its worship is defined by the Eucharistic action and presence. Wherever we find the true Church, we find the Eucharist and vise versa. The spirit of the antichrist attacks the mystical Body of Christ and the Eucharist. It cannot help itself. While in truth the Eucharist is medicine for the soul, the spirit of the antichrist treats it as poison. Back in 2008, the atheist biology professor Dr. Paul Myers at the University of Minnesota told his students that Catholic teachings constitute “a crime against the human race.” He instigated the so-called EUCHARIST CHALLENGE where he urged students to steal and to profane hosts given out at Mass. Indeed, he recorded his own desecration of the Blessed Sacrament for YouTube. The antichrist prefers a real absence to any real presence. He caters to sacrilege over adoration or worship. He would have us focus upon the minister and not upon Christ in the sacrament or acting in the priest.
What is the context for John’s emphasis upon the flesh or real presence of Christ? The early Church struggled against the heresy of Gnosticism. They viewed flesh as evil and denied the humanity of Christ. They proposed the lie that Jesus only pretended to be human. Such a notion undermines the redemptive work of Christ. What is not assumed is not redeemed. The Gnostics and others guilty of heresy were and are antichrists.
The Man of Lawlessness & the End of Days
We are living in the last days. Indeed, the whole history of the Church takes place during this stage of salvation history. The question arises, are we entering the “conclusion” to the End of Days? While we might discern signs, only Christ knows for sure.
While some authorities would argue that the antichrist and the man of lawlessness are not one and the same, I would argue that there is a conjuncture between these two themes made popular in apocalyptic appreciation. St. Paul speaks of the man of lawlessness as one filled with hubris (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4). He would take to himself, as did Nero, the worship that belongs to almighty God alone. This is the tie in with the term antichrist. The early Christians were martyred because they refused to compromise their faith in Jesus by rendering false worship, not just to the pantheon of Roman deities but to the emperor. All they needed to do to satisfy the authorities was to throw a pinch of incense upon the fire at the emperor’s shrine. A failure to do so marked a person as an enemy of the state.
First, there is no denying that the Scriptures speak of many antichrists. However, such would not mean that the singular “man of lawlessness” referenced by St. Paul can be delineated from them. He is most certainly one of their numbers. The Jews, themselves, had suffered challenges from many would-be messiahs and false prophets. Of course, the leadership erred in supposing that Jesus was just another one that had come along. They were blind to the signs and wonders that pointed toward his legitimacy.
Second, there is ready confusion in the early Church between the time immediately following Christ’s ascension and the second coming of Christ and the End Times. Many supposed that the second coming would occur in their lifetimes. This was certainly the gossip about the apostle John. The destruction of the temple in 70 AD and the persecution of the Church by Rome would only add to the speculation of a more immediate eschaton that would consummate history and bring about the last judgment.
Thus, it is not overly precipitous to conflate the antichrist with the man of lawlessness. Nero becomes the archetype or standard for such a figure. He is the ruler of the world, a man regarded as a god, and his rule is hailed as the “peace of Rome.” Rome burns and he scapegoats the Christians. Believers are sent to the Colosseum to suffer the sword or to be devoured by wild beasts.
Personally, I am uncertain as to whether there will be a final charismatic antichrist or man of lawlessness at the end of human history. But I would not be surprised. What we can say is that there are many figures in the history of the world who would have been fitting candidates. Speculation does not really get us very far. The politics of hate in our own country has many pointing to President Trump as the apocalyptic figure. And yet he purportedly seeks to defend religious liberty and opposes abortion on demand. Many have suggested Hitler and Stalin. Others target men of great wealth and power. I suspect if he emerges, he will be a person of both charm and intelligence. He may even be an overtly religious person. But there will be something off about his presence. He will carry something of the occult or supernatural about him. I can only speak for myself, but I have a few guesses about the “son of perdition.” There is an odd interpretation of prophecy that he might be a man without a soul. I had always thought this was ridiculous, even impossible. Today, I am not so sure. The human soul is the indestructible element of the human composite. It is where we posit intellect and will. Lacking a soul, one would be a beast or machine.
Speculation about the Beast: A Man without a Soul
As a seminarian I was warned by a professor about wasting my time with bad books. What he meant were books that favored tradition over his so-called enlightenment of progressive dissent. I would argue that informed minds should read all sides of questions, giving gravity to magisterial teachings. At the time I was unaware of his theological bias and thought someone had informed him about my love of science fiction and comic books. The fanciful and speculative works gave me delight going back to the days of my youth. Why do I mention this? It is because you never know where you might pick up something useful for theological reflection. I recall yellowing copies of AMAZING STORIES from 1939 to 1942 that mesmerized me with tales of a sentient robot. Written by Eando and Otto Binder, the short stories followed the life of Adam Link, a robot who became self-aware. This was the inspiration for the later robot stories of Isaac Asimov. Many of the themes were also explored in the android Data from Star Trek the Next Generation television show and movies. These portrayals tend to be positive, and the machines come across as more “human” or innocent than the flesh-and-blood people around them. But how can a machine or mechanized mannequin possess self-reflective knowledge and genuine free will (loving) if there is nothing analogous to a human soul? Atheistic materialists might reduce everything to numbers, calculation speed and memory capacity; but people of faith believe that the immortal soul is what separates us from the animals. I am also reminded of the novel Colossus from 1966 by Dennis Jones. The first of three books, the first made into a movie, the novel centers around a couple of super-computers that take over the world. While not in any sense a man, the conjoined super-computers would certainly qualify as candidates for antichrist.
Let me spell out what I am trying to say, and it is all speculation at this point. The Book of Revelation claims that the “beast” will receive his power from Satan. Indeed, it has been suggested that instead of a soul, he would be animated by a demonic spirit. Again, such a hypothesis first struck me as impossible and mad. It would signify a dark and perverse parody of the incarnation. Would such a man be truly human? Why would God allow a monstrosity of this sort to be born? But maybe such a creature would emerge from our side of the equation. When the Archdiocese of Washington initiated its I.T. program, I reminded the presenters that “IT” was the name of the dark controlling mind in the 1962 children’s book, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle. It was the first in a series about a cosmic battle between the light and the darkness. Today, we live during a time when (A.I) artificial intelligence and robotics can mimic men in discourse and visual movement. Even with only virtual bodies, we can be readily fooled into thinking the characters on screen and talking might be real. Along with this technological breakthrough, certain exorcists have argued that they have seen signs of demonic manipulation on the internet. Talk about the devil being in the details. If the demonic can invade men and their technology, might the feared beast be a child of humanity, not through the loins but through invention and technology. All this comes at a time when there is genetic manipulation and soon, we will have children with orchestrated DNA and produced from artificial wombs. Elon Musk is hailing the advent of Neuralink and human/computer hybrids with implantable brain–computer interfaces. While there might be benefits, have we fully thought out the perils that face us? If the man of lawlessness sees himself (or itself) as superior or immortal, might he not demand worship from those entirely fashioned by nature from the womb?
This is the home of the AWALT PAPERS, the posting of various pieces of wisdom salvaged from the writings, teachings and sermons of the late Msgr. William J. Awalt.
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