Suddenly, everyone is talking about the End of the World

December 18, 2011 – LONDON – The end of the world may not be coming, but whatever is coming might as well be the end of the world. And as we walk in this twilight, perhaps at the very least, we would do well to enjoy the sunset while it lasts. MarketWatch’s Paul B. Farrell had an interesting article Tuesday on how America is on the path for a decade from hell. In Farrell’s opinion, this “decade from hell will get worse in 2012.” Farrell portends a coming stock market crash, political dysfunctionality, revolution, and various wars that stem from class differences and commodity clashes between countries in the near future. Farrell’s dire forecasts for the next nine years are quite ominous. Among them include ideas that the “super rich” will continue to spend billions to control Washington culminating in a system where the wealthy have absolute power over everyone else, rising global population will give way to commodity wars throughout the world, class war will spread, and the American form of capitalism will collapse in on itself. Whether or not Farrell realized it at the time, in some ways Farrell’s dark forecast sounds akin to the Great Tribulation. Farrell may have called it a “decade from hell,” but it sounded a bit like a great tribulation. Throw in a little Mayan 2012 prophecy & St. Malachy’s Prophecy of the Popes and Farrell might as well have been writing that the end is nigh. As I wrote previously, some religious circles believe that “during the Great Tribulation much of the Earth would suffer, many would die, the Antichrist would reign supreme instituting severe economic policies culminating in the ‘mark of the beast’ necessary for buying and selling, and the Antichrist would later set himself as a god over the entire planet demanding worship from all Earth’s humans. –Benzinga 

Pope’s health in grave decline: People who have spent time with him recently say they found him weaker than they’d ever seen him, seemingly too tired to engage with what they were saying. He no longer meets individually with visiting bishops. A few weeks ago he started using a moving platform to spare him the long walk down St. Peter’s Basilica. Benedict turns 85 in the New Year, so a slowdown is only naturally expected. And given his age and continued rigorous work schedule, it’s remarkable he does as much as he does and is in such good health overall: Just this past week he confirmed he would travel to Mexico and Cuba next spring. But a decline has been noted as Benedict prepares for next weekend’s grueling Christmas celebrations, which kick off two weeks of intense public appearances. And that raises questions about the future of the papacy given that Benedict himself has said popes should resign if they can’t do the job. –NY Daily

According to some, St. Malachy is said to have prophesied every pope down to the end of time. According to the accepted interpretation of the famed prophecy- there is to be only one more pope after Benedict then time will end and Rome will be destroyed by a terrible fire. Benedict’s declining health has ignited new fears that the prophecy of Malachy may be on the cusp of fulfillment.

contribution Luisport