THE
ANTI-CHRIST AND THE GREEK FATHERS
What
is the criterion of truth in every confrontation between the Catholic Church
and her accusers? Every debate is between the simple living tradition
handed down from the apostles against NEW speculations. Every heresy
based its veracity on the virtuosity of human learning, while the truth is
always based on Sacred Scripture and Tradition.
The
modern minds consider the pure Catholic teachings as "fitted for
simpletons"; the true defenders base their beliefs on "how the
Church used to do things." This is the way the Church passed and
will pass unscathed through myriads of attacks throughout the
ages.
We
must, therefore, get our teachings on the Anti-Christ from Scriptures and
Tradition. Who is he?
The
Anti-Christ will be the corruptor of truth and morals. So unbridled
will he and his followers be in their madness against God; so
arrogant, impious and irreligious in spirit will they be against Christ and
His Church. The Anti-Christ is the archrebel among men; he will be the
embodiment of all sin committed from Adam up to the end of the
world.
When
the time for the Anti-Christ comes, he will be mightily aided by
Satan. It will be the final all-out assault against Christ and the
Church, in a spirit of heinousness and hatred never before
experienced.
St.
Ireneaus describes him as "the maximum of malice;" he fears
not God nor reveres men. He will come in his own name and
establish his own world dominion with the cooperation of evil angels and
evil men.
The
name of the Anti-Christ is a secret kept by God until the man of sin
arrives. St. Irenaeus warns us not to guess his name; to do so is to
open oneself to deception. The Holy Spirit will give his name at the
right time. The Holy Spirit announces ahead of time only the names of
men and women who are destined to bring salvation to men and glory to
God. God does not announce ahead the names of evil men. To find
out his name is to open up an endless futile activity that will waste
valuable time and energy and yet never solve the problem.
St.
Cyril states that the Anti-Christ will be raised by Satan; he will perform
many amazing wonders and he is awaited by everyone who rejects Christ.
His coming will be preceded by deep moral decay, hatred for one another, a
great falling away and great abandoning of the truth. The Church will
be filled with heretics in disguise who will be the forerunners of the
Anti-Christ.
St.
Cyril continues: the Anti-Christ comes from below, from the earth, a
magician, expert in diabolical arts. He will claim that he is the
Christ, deceiving the Jews. At first, he will put on a show of
mildness, as though he were a learned and discreet person. He will be
sober and benevolent. But the moment he is accepted by both Jews and
Gentiles, he will drop the mask of benign graciousness. He will begin
his career of crime and heinous activity of lawlessness. The most
malicious of the unrighteous, he will have great hatred for the virtuous and
holy. A murderous spirit driven on by a lust for cruelty, he will be a
tyrant run amuck in the blood of the saints for three and a half
years.
The
Anti-Christ will rebuild the temple of Jerusalem, a feat he alone shall
accomplish. He will abhor all other idols and present himself as the
only idol adored in the temple.
(11-02-04)
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