You can download the book at this link in multiple formats:
https://archive.org/details/TheReignOfAn...1/mode/2up
THE REIGN OF ANTICHRIST
*
By
R. GERALD CULLETON
*
"Lord wilt Thou at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel?..." "It is not for you to know tILe times or dates which the Father has fixed . .." Acts 1:6-7
"Let no one deceive you . .. The day of the Lord will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of sin is revealed . .. who . .. gives himself out as if he were God." 2 Thes. 3-4
*
TAN BOOKS AND PUBLISHERS, INC.
Rockford, Illinois 61105
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE
Originally issued in 1951, the The Reign of Antichrist forms a companion volume to The Prophets and Our Times (1941) and is very much like the latter in scope and content. Two important differences in the books, however, should be noted: The Reign of Antichrist comprises Biblical prophecies as well as saintly prophecies; whereas, The Prophets and Our Times covers saintly prophecies almost entirely. Secondly, The Reign of Antichrist deals with a slightly different period of time, that, obviously of the individual Antichrist; The Prophets and Our Times deals with the period just before the reign of Antichrist, a period dominated by the Great Monarch. A careful reading of these two books will indicate that the time of the Great Monarch more or less prefigures that of Antichrist, although the two personages have generally reversed roles; that is, the times of both men are calamitous for the Catholic Church and for society. The Great Monarch's ascension to power ends the turmoil and initiates an unprecedented peace; on the other hand, Antichrist's coming to power ends the great peace and prosperity of the Great Monarch and heralds the most dreadful situation for both Church and society, which situation ends in the second coming of Our Lord.
The present work is by no means perfect, and all readers should recognize this before they start. Our purpose in reprinting it is twofold: It is a wonderful source book, one from which students of the subject can make an excellent beginning and from which, perhaps some really good student of eschatology, using other existing sources also, can give us a truly authoritative work on the subject. Secondly, there is practically nothing in print in this area that is even remotely reliable. History of Antichrist, by Rev. P. Huchede (1884) is a notable exception, being not only authoritative, but brief and highly readable. Our suggestion is that this book be read before The Reign of Antichrist, if possible, or at least shortly thereafter; it is an excellent outline of Catholic teaching relative to Antichrist. A first reading of Father Huchede's book should be followed by one where the reader looks up all the Biblical passages cited there. In this manner, the subject becomes extremely clear. Father Huchede bases his thesis upon Scripture, Tradition, and the Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Father Culleton, however, actually quotes the passages from scripture and the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, plus gives numerous sources of written tradition; added to these, moreover, he quotes many saints and holy people who possessed the gift of prophecy themselves. Having all these prophetic passages under one cover singularizes The Reign of Antichrist as a unique and valuable book in its field.
A word of warning needs to be interjected here. Saintly prophecies are not "of faith" (de fide pronouncements) and most of the Biblical prophecies regarding Antichrist have not been given official interpretation; consequently, we must observe precaution in interpreting them and in basing our actions upon them, especially until the Church has made judgment in their regard. Nonetheless, these prophecies, both Biblical and saintly, were given and intended for our enlightenment and should not be casually put aside. "Despise not prophecies," says St. Paul, "but prove all things." (1 Thes. 5:20-21). Also he tells us, "Follow after charity, be zealous for spiritual gifts; but rather that you may prophesy ... He that prophesieth, speaketh to men unto edification, and exhortation, and comfort ... He that prophesieth, edifieth the church ... For greater is he that prophesieth, than he that speaketh with tongues." (1 Cor. 14:1,3,4,5). We would indeed be most foolish if we debunked the prophecies Father Culleton has gathered together here, for they form an impressive collection, probably the most thorough treatment on the subject in print. Perhaps it is even providential that the book is being reissued at this time, along with The Prophets and Our Times as well. Together, these two books tell quite a story about the future. And the great divergence of the sources of the prophecies cited is itself the most compelling argument for their validity.
Needless to say, the doctrine on Antichrist is very much a part of our Catholic theology and Tradition, and as such, must be considered carefully by all men, the learned and the unlearned alike, for the Antichrist, when he comes, will affect the lives of all men. Based upon the firmness of their faith and the correctness of their knowledge, men will either apostatize or remain faithful to Christ and His Church. Thus, it will be seen that a knowledge of the prophecies regarding Antichrist is of an immensely practical nature.
We have omitted from the book the secret messages of the La Salette apparition (1846-approved by the Church in 1851), and the reader will find under Number 337 on page 163 a note to this effect. Pages 164 through 170 are missing entirely and only part of pages 163 and 171 appear. In the proper place we have explained why this was done. Other than that, a correction has been made concerning the "Secret of Fatima" on page 186. The wording of the original edition was not precisely what it should have been, and the author issued with each book a preface sheet containing also some corrections; this particular correction we have thought to include new in the body of the book, as well as two others of merely typographical nature. The balance of the author's loose-leaf enclosure has been added as the "Author's Preface."
Some readers no doubt will question Father Culleton's including Number 315, the prophecy of Michael Nostradamus (page 144) because Nostradamus was an astrologer, or at least a student of that subject. Presumably, this was due to Nostradamus' great overall accuracy as a prophet. Although Jewish by birth, he was a Catholic and apparently a very devout one. Moreover, he believed his prophetic foresight was so accurate that he scrambled his quatrains (the enigmatic, four-line verses in which he cast most of his prophecies), in order that people would not be too frightened of the future. Cultivation of the occult sciences is of course forbidden, but to what extent he relied upon astrology to make his predictions, if at all, I do not know. Nonetheless, his reputation for accuracy is great; however, in the particular predictions Father Culleton quotes here, he seems to have made several errors. But the same is true for the predictions of Father Theophilus Reisinger, O.F.M., Cap. (No. 369; page 222), the renowned exorcist of Earling, Iowa fame, popularized by the booklet Begone Satan.
This leads immediately into the question of errors in saintly prophecies. Does this obvious element of error vitiate the entire book. I do not believe it does, and for the following reasons: First, prophecies are about the future, and events, spiritually speaking, are greatly dependent upon the moral quality of human lives; when mankind improves his behavior, he can forestall or remove imminent catastrophe from happening. The prophet might be predicting in the sense of "if conditions do not change, then..." Second, a prophet may simply be misquoted. Third, he may be misinterpreted. And finally, the person in question may not in fact have the prophetic gift, as I believe is the case with Father Reisinger, whose forte or charisma was exorcism; the prediction given by him was through a second party, a mystic who received a locution.
Over all, however, the reader will see that most of Father Culleton's book contains passages that tend to support one another and which in general elucidate what Sacred Scripture has to say on Antichrist, and it is for this reason that we have reissued his book. May it bring enlightenment to its readers on this sorely abused subject, and may it inspire people today to turn to a serious spirituality in their lives, as the only valid bulwark to the onslaught of "the man of sin," a spirituality including prayer, penance, good works, spiritual reading, and frequenting the Sacraments, the formula laid down by the saints for spiritual perfection. This, after all, should be the end result of all our reading-growth in holiness so that we may earn salvation through the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ, no matter what it may be our fate to live through.
Thomas A. Nelson July 1, 1974 Feast of the Precious Blood
201a. Genesis On Henoch
"And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch ... And Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala. And Henoch walked with God: and lived after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. And all the days of Henoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And he walked with God, and was seen no more: because God took him." (5: 18-24).
b. This text is used by those who say Antichrist will be from the Tribe of Dan.
"Dan shall judge his people like another tribe in Israel. Let Dan be a snake in the way, a serpent in the path, that biteth the horse's heels that his rider may fall backward" (49: 16-17). Cf. also Gen. 3:1 ff; Deut. 13:1 ff; Job 4:8 ff. All of Genenis 49 is on the last days but not all on Anti-Christ.
202. Deuteronomy On False Prophets
"If there rise in the midst of thee a prophet or one that saith he hath dreamed a dream, and he foretell a sign and a wonder, and that come to pass which he spoke, and he say to thee: Let us go and follow strange gods, which thou knowest not, and let us serve them: Thou shalt not hear the words of that prophet or dreamer: for the Lord your God trieth you, that it may appear whether you love him with all your heart, and with all your soul, or not" (13 :1-3).
203. III Kings
Chapters 17 to 19 and Chapter 21: 17-29 recount at length the story of Elias the Prophet and his dealings with Achab King of Israel. While a reading of this part of the Bible is essential for a life of the prophet there is little or nothing to be found there concerning the role he is to play in the last days. Subsequent students, however, may have rememuered the following words when they dealt with the end of time.
a. And the word of the Lord said to Elias, "go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air. And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: What dost thou here, Elias? And he answered: With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant: they have destroyed thy altars, they have slain thy prophets with the sword, and I alone am left, and they seek my life to take it away. And the Lord said to him: Go, and return on thy way through the desert to Damascus: and when thou art come thither, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria. And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmuela, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall escape the sword of Hazael, shall be slain by Jehu: and whosoever shall escape the sword of Jehu shall be slain by Eliseus. And I will leave me seven thousand men in Israel, whose knees have not been bowed before Baal, and every mouth that hath not worshipped him ..." (19:9-18).
[size=medium] b. "Because he hath humbled himself for my sake I will not bring evil in his days, but in his son's days will I bring the evil upon his house" (21: 29).
204. IV Kings
Chapter 1 continues the life of Elias under the son and successor of Achab and does not enlighten us on the prophet's eschatological role, but the following is, of course, important.
"And it came to pass, when the Lord would take up Elias into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elias and Eliseus were going from Galgal. And Elias said to Eliseus: Stay thou here, because the Lord hath sent me as far as Bethel. And Eliseus said to him: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
"And when they were come down to Bethel, the sons cf the prophets, that were at Bethel, came forth to Eliseus, and said to him: Dost thou know that this day the Lord will take away thy master from thee? And he answered: I also know it: hold your peace. And Elias said to Eliseus:. Stay here because the Lord hath sent me to Jericho. And he said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee.
"And when they were come to Jericho, The sons of the prophets that were at Jericho, came to Eliseus, and said to him: Dost thou know that this day the Lord will take away thy master from thee? And he said: I also know it: hold your peace. And Elias said to him: Stay here, because the Lord hath sent me as far as the Jordan. And he said: As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee; and they two went on together. And fifty men of the sons of the prophets followed them, and stood in sight at a distance: but they two stood by the Jordan.
[size=medium] "And Elias took his mantle and folded it together, and struck the waters, and they \vere divided hither and thither, and they both passed over on dry ground. And when they were gone over, Elias said to Eliseus: Ask what thou wilt have me to do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Eliseus said: I beseech thee that in me may be thy double spirit. And he answered: Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless if thou see me when I am taken from thee, thou shalt have what thou hast asked: but if thou see me not, thou shalt not have it.
"And as they went on, walking and talking together behold a fiery chariot, and fiery horses part them both asunder: and Elias went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Eliseus saw him, and cried: My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the driver thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own garments, and rent them in two pieces.
"And he took up the mantle of Elias, that fell from him: and going back, he stood upon the bank of the Jordan, And he struck the waters with the mantle of Elias, that had fallen from him, and they were not divided. And he said: Where is now the God of Elias? And he struck the waters and they were divided, hither and thither, and Eliseus passed over. And the sons of the prophets at Jericho, who were over against him, seeing it said: The spirit of Elias hath rested upon Eliseus: And coming to meet him, they worshipped him, falling to the ground" (2: 1-15).
205. II Paralipomenon
In this book is recorded the story of Elias and Joram King of Juda (21: 12-19). It is not to our purpose. Prophesy 3 in our first book (The Prophets and Our Times) describes the unsettled conditions that will prevail when Israel is refounded. It too is from this Sacred Book.
206. Psalms
In our former work prophesies 4a to c either refer to the latter times or inspired Christian prophets.
207. Wisdom
Prophesy 5 in the former book describes our modern world quite well and was meant for any age which turns it back on the Creator.
208. Ecclesiasticus or Ben Sirach
This book written about 275 years before Christ is the first known to us which speaks of future roles assigned to the prophets Henoch and Elias. The author, however, is not and does not claim to be, a prophet. He merely sets down the commonly held Jewish teaching of his time.
a. "Henoch pleased God, and was translated into paradise, that he may give repentance to the nations" (44: 16).
b. "No man was born upon earth like Henoch: for he also was taken up from the earth" (49 :16) .
c. "And Elias the prophet stood up, as a fire, and his sword burnt like a torch. He brought a famine upon then1, and they that provoked him in their envy, were reduced to a small number, for they could not endure the commandments of the Lord. By the word of the Lord he shut up the heaven, and brought down fire from heaven thrice. Thus was Elias magnified in his wondrous works. And who can glory like to thee? Who raisest up a dead man from below, from the lot of death, by the word of the Lord God. Who broughtest down kings to destruction, and brokest easily their power in pieces, and the glorious from their bed. Who heardest judgment in Sina, and in Horeb the judgments of vengeance. Who anointedst kings to penance, and madest prophets successors after thee. Who "vast taken up in a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot of fiery horses. Who art registered in the judgments of times to appease the wrath of the Lord, to reconcile the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Blessed are they that saw thee, and were honoured with thy friendship. For we live only in our life, but after death our name shall not be such. Elias was indeed covered with the whirlwind, and his spirit was filled in Eliseus." (48: 1-13a).
209. Isaias
In our former book prophesy 8 contains extracts descriptive of the confusion of the latter days and also a section on the eventual universal peace and unity of faith. There follows here words that have yet to be completely fulfilled. In fact Ecclesiasticus (48: 26, 27) says that Isaias foresaw the things that would come to pass at last.
a. "The noise of a multitude in the mountains, as it were of many people, the noise of the sound of kings, of nations gathered together: The Lord of hosts hath given charge to the troops of war. To them that come from a country afar off, from the end of heaven: the Lord and the instruments of his wrath, to destroy the whole land. 'Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is near: it shall come as a destruction from the Lord. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every heart of man shall melt, And shall be broken. Gripings and pains shall take hold of them, they shall be in pain as a woman in labour. Everyone shall be amazed at his neighbour, their countenances shall be as faces burnt. Behold, the day of the Lord shall come, a cruel day, and full of indignation, and of wrath, and fury, to lay the land desolate, and to destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven, and their brightness shall not display their light: the sun shall be darkened in his rising, and the moon not shine with her light. And I will visit the evils of the world, and against the wicked for their iniquity: and I will make the pride of infidels to cease, and will bring down the arrogancy of the mighty" (13:4-11).
b. "Hell below man in an uproar to meet thee at thy coming, it stirred up the giants for thee. All the princes of the earth are risen up from their thrones, all the princes of nations. All shall answer, and say to thee: Thou also art wounded as well as we, thou are become like unto us.
"Thy pride is brought down to hell, thy carcass is fallen down: under thee shall the moth be strewed, and worms shall be thy covering. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, who didst rise in the morning? how art thou fallen to the earth, that didst wound the nations? And thou saidst in thy heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God, I will sit in the mountain of the coven!1nt, in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the height of the clouds, I will be like the most High. But yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, into the depth of the pit.
"They that shall see thee, shall turn toward thee, and behold thee. Is this the man that troubled the earth, that shook kingdoms, that made the world a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof, that opened not the prison to his prisoners? All the kinds of the nations have all of them slept in glory, everyone in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave, as an unprofitable branch defiled, and wrapped up among them that were slain by the sword, and art gone down to the bottom of the pit, as a rotten carcass" (14: 9-19). cf. 11:4; 66 :15 ff.
210. Jeremias
Prophesy 9 in our earlier work deals at length with false prophets and speaks of terrible chastisements that will follow widespread evils. All the things foretold have not yet been accomplished.
211. Ezechiel
Prophesy 11 like 9 mentioned above deals with false prophets and chastisements. There follows the extensive extracts whence has flowed subsequent literature on Gog and Magog.
"Son of man, set thy face against God, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal: and prophesy of him, and say to him: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Mosoch and Thubal ...
"After many days thou shalt be visited: at the end of years thou shalt come to the land that is returned from the sword, and is gathered out of many nations, to the mountains of Israel which have been continually waste: but it hath been brought forth out of the nations, and they shall all of them dwell securely in it. And thou shalt go up and come like a storm, and like a cloud to cover the land, thou ,and all thy bands and many people with thee.
"Thus saith the Lord God: In that day projects shall enter into thy heart, and thou shalt conceive a mishievous design. And thou shalt say: I will go up to the land which is without a wall, I will come to them that are at rest, and dwell securely: all these dwell without a wall, they have no bars nor gates: To take spoils and lay hold on the prey, to lay thy hand upon them that had been wasted, and afterwards restored, and upon the people that is gathered out of the nations, which hath begun to possess and to dwell in the midst of the earth.
"Saba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tharsis, and all the lions thereof shall say to thee: Art thou to take spoils? behold, thou hast gathered thy multitude to take a prey, to take silver, and gold, and to carry away goods and substance, and to take rich spoils.
"Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy and say to Gog: Thus saith the Lord God: Thou shalt not know, in that day, when my people of Israel shall dwell securely? And thou shalt come out of thy place from the northern parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company and a mighty army. And thou shalt come upon my people of Israel like a cloud, to cover the earth. Thou shalt be in the latter days, and I will bring thee upon my land: that the nations may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.
"Thus saith the Lord God: Thou then art he, of whom I have spoken in the days of old, by my servants the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in the days of those times that I would bring thee upon them. And it shall come to pass in that day, in the day of the coming of Gog upon the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, that my indignation shall come up in my wrath. And I have spoken in my zeal, and in the fire of my anger, that in that day there shall be a great commotion upon the land of Israel: So that the fishes of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the ground, and all men that are upon the face of the earth, shall be moved by my presence: and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the hedges shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. And I will call in the sword against him in all my mountains, saith the Lord God; every man's sword shall be pointed against his brother. And I will judge him with pestilence, and with blood, and with violent rain, and vast hailstones: I will rain fire and brimstone upon him, and upon his army, and upon the many nations that are with him. And I will be magnified, and I will be sanctified: and I will be known in the eyes of many nations: and they sh,all know that I am the Lord.
"And thou, son cf man, prophesy against Gog, and say: Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I come against thee, 0 Gog, the chief prince of Mosch and Thubal. And I will turn thee round, and I will lead thee out, and will m~ake thee go up from the northern parts: and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel. And I will break thy bow in thy left hand, and I will cause thy arrows to fall out of thy right hand. Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou and all thy bands, and thy nations that are with thee: I have given thee to the wild beasts, to the birds, and to every fowl, and to the beasts of the earth to be devoured. Thou shalt fall upon the face of the field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord God.
"And I will send a fire on Magog, and on them that dwell confidently in the islands: and they shall know that I am the Lord. And I will make my holy name known in the midst of my people of Israel, and my holy name shall be profaned no more: and the Gentiles shall know that I am the Lord, the Holy One of Israel ...
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will give Gog a noted place for a sepulchre in Israel: the valley of the passengers on the east of the sea, which shall cause astonishment in them that pass by: and there shall they bury Gog, and all his multitude, and it shall be called the valley of the multitude of Gog ...
"And all the people of the land shall bury him, and it shall be unto them a noted day, wherein I was glorified, saith the Lord God ...
"And I will set my glory among the nations: and all nations shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them. And the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day forward" (38: 1 to 39: 22). cf. 7: 11 and 28.
212. Daniel
Neither the Prophet Daniel nor any other pre-Christian author has used the word Antichrist. In fact that word is used in but one context of the New Testament. It does not appear at all in the Apocalypse. Despite this it is universally agreed that in the Book of Daniel we find the earliest uncontested reference to the personage now known as Antichrist. It is further agreed that the Apocalypse develops ideas that were first given to the world by the Prophet Daniel.
a. "Behold ... a great statue and the look thereof was terrible. The head ... was gold ... the breast ... silver ... the belly and thighs brass the legs iron and the feet part iron and part clay. A stone cut out of a mountain ,vithout hands struck the statue and the feet and broke them. Then the iron, clay, brass, silver and gold was broken and became like chaff and were carried away by the wind but the stone became a mountain which filled the whole earth.
"This is ... the interpretation Thou (Nabuchodonosor King of Babylon) art the head after thee shall rise up another kingdom (Medes and Persians), and a third kingdom shall rule all the world (Alexander the Great), and the fourth kingdom shall be as iron ... (and) shall break and destroy all these (Roman Empire).
"And whereas thou sawest the feet and the toes, part of potter's clay and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided, but yet it shall take its origin from the iron, according as thou sawest the iron mixed with the miry clay. And as the toes of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, the kingdom sh,all be partly strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay, they shall be mingled indeed together with the seed of man, but they shall not stick fast one to another, as iron cannot be mixed with clay.
"But in the days of those kingdoms the God of heaven will set up a kingdom (the Church of Christ) that shall never be destroyed, and his kingdom shall not be delivered up to another people; and it shall break in pieces, and shall consume all these kingdoms, and itself shall stand forever. According as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces the clay, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God hath shown the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful." (2 :31-45).
b. "Four great beasts ... came up out of the sea. The first was like a lioness and had wings (Chaldean Empire) ... another beast like a bear (Persian Empire) ... another like a Leopard (Grecian Empire) ... a fourth beast terrible and wonderful ... It had great iron teeth (Roman Empire) ... It had ten (1) horns. I considered the horns, and behold another little horn (2) sprung out of the midst of them: and three of the first horns were plucked up at the presence thereof . . . and behold eyes like the eyes. of a man were in this horn, and a mouth speaking great things ...
"I beheld because of the voice of the great words which that horn spoke, and I saw that the beast was slain, and the body thereof was destroyed, and given to the fire to be burnt; and that the power of the other beasts was taken away, and that times of life were appointed them for a time, and a time.
( 1) Ten kingdoms, as in Apoc. 17: 12, among which the elmpire of the fourth beast shall be parcelled. Or ten kings of the number of the successors of Alexander, as figures of such as shall be about the time of Antichrist. (Bishop Challoner note).
(2) This is commonly understood of Antichrist. It may also be applied to that great persecutor Antiochus Epiphanes, figure of Antichrist. (Bishop Challoner note).