Tema: America In Catholic Prophecy.

America In Catholic Prophecy

Washington DC Post Apocalypse

In the sixth period of the Church will begin the powerful Monarch and the Holy Pontiff, as mentioned previously, and it will last until the revelation of Antichrist. In this period, God will console His Holy Church for the affliction and great tribulation which she has endured during the fifth period. All nations will become Catholic. Vocations will be abundant as never before, and all men will seek only the Kingdom of God and His justice. Men will live in peace, and this will be granted because people will make their peace with God. They will live under the protection of the Great Monarch and his successors.

The Venerable Bartholomew Holzhauser
b: Aug. 24, 1613, d: May 20, 1658

THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: As Christian Americans we are naturally obsessed with the prophetic future of our nation. Evangelicals search feverishly for some allegorical reference to the United States in Sacred Scripture. Catholics seek references to America in private revelation. An entire devotion has arisen during the 20th century, called Our Lady of America, in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is said to have relayed specific warnings and guidance to our fledgling nation. Yes, that's right, I said 'fledgling' nation, because you see, the United States is not a very old nation at all. It's rather young actually, less than 240 years old, and our government is built entirely on a proposition more than any culture or national identity. This makes America very structurally weak, relying entirely on the force of the federal government to hold it together.

What Americans often forget however, is that our federal republic is a creation of circumstance and nothing more. When we talk about culture, we have to ask ourselves what culture is. The word 'culture' comes from the Latin word cultus meaning religion. Culture is in fact nothing more then the way a religion interacts with a people and their environment. America, for the most part is a culture based on the indigenous Christian cultures of the British Isles -- English, Scottish and Irish. There is a smattering of other cultures as well, that have left their impression on the United States, but the dominant culture (the prevailing and established culture) is very British. Americans speak English. Our legal system is based on English Common Law. Our traditional music and dance are based on Celtic folk culture -- Irish and Scottish. Even the large black population in the United States is heavily influenced by this, as they have virtually nothing in common with African culture and haven't in centuries. This is who we are, and there is no mistaking that. We are all Americans, and that means we are all culturally British, or at least some variant of that.

What makes matters confusing is the modern phenomenon of multiculturalism and the historical reality of Yankee imperialism. We could argue America's empire actually began just before the American Civil War (1861-1865), in what we know as the Mexican-American War (1846-1848). This resulted in the large annexation of previously held Mexican territories, as well as their people and culture. Having once been a resident of Southern California, I can attest to the heavy Spanish-Mexican influence on this region to this very day. Thus, in the Southwest corner of the United States, there exists a very Spanish-Mexican culture, punctuated by enclaves of other cultures that have immigrated from all over the world. In this region of the United States, it seems that the English language is optional, and as a result of this (as well as massive immigration from Mexico in recent years), much of the businesses and local governments in the United States have essentially become bilingual (English and Spanish).

I bring this up because to understand America's future, we must understand America's history. The United States of America is a proposition nation, made up entirely of a propositional republican form of government that was heavily based on a culture of British imperialism. The creation of the United States of America is the result of a secession from the British empire, followed by a political imitation of that same empire. The American hegemony is very British, very Protestant and very imperialistic. It is also an aberration. For had it not been for the abuses of King George III, the original thirteen colonies that started the United States might have never seceded from the British Empire. Had this secession from the crown never happened, it is likely the United States would exist much in the same way Canada does today. In fact, I dare say, the United States of America would exist today as part of the British Commonwealth, and her borders would stop at the Mississippi River, (France having sold the Louisiana Purchase to Spain instead), while Canada would occupy most of the American Northwest, and Mexico would likely occupy much of the American Midwest and Southwest. This is just speculation to be sure, but the point of such historical speculation is to further understand what America is. Had it not been for the British-Protestant-Imperialist heritage of the United States, coupled with the unrestrained nature of republican politics, it would not exist today as we know it.

History being what it was however, the United States consists primarily of English-speaking Anglo-Celtic peoples, with the exception of the Southwest corner of the United States, which is heavily Spanish-Mexican in language and culture. That being clarified, let's get into what we know to be the prophecies of the coming era, especially as they relate to private revelation and the future of the United States.

Above I briefly mentioned the devotion to Our Lady of America. This was canonically approved in 1963 by the Archbishop of Cincinnati, the late Paul Francis Leibold. Because of some concern over this, the canonical approval was reviewed by canon lawyer Archbishop (now Cardinal) Raymond Burke in 2007. (Cardinal Burke is now Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura at the Vatican.) Cardinal Burke's letter of canonical review can be read here. Cardinal Burke determined that Archbishop Leibold did indeed canonically approve the apparition and message according to the canonical norms of the Catholic Church, and that because of this, Catholics are free to practice what he described as this 'beautiful devotion.' The message of Our Lady of America is long, but essentially simple in nature. Basically, it involves a commitment to the indwelling presence of the Holy Trinity within the hearts of every Christian, and an absolute commitment to chastity and spiritual purity. We are told in this message that this is God's will for the people of the United States, to lead the world in chastity and spiritual purity, and that failure to embrace God's will on this will only result in our national misery. Not many details are given as to what this 'misery' entails. We can assume that much of it is our own doing, since it is obvious that we Americans, as a nation, have not heeded the warning and reformed our lives accordingly. We have seen American society unravel before our very eyes. In just the course of one generation, the United States of America has gone from the apex of human civilisation to a nation that is fighting to stay above third-world status. Morality is virtually a thing of the past in America. Teen pregnancy is rampant. Unwed mothers are the norm. Couples are far more prone to just 'live together' than enter into marriage, and as a result of this, artificial contraception and abortion are considered 'reproductive rights' protected by the government. America is the world's number-one producer of pornography which is exported around the globe. In some places, prostitution is legal in the United States, and protected by state law. Strip clubs and 'gentlemen bars' can be found in every American city. 'Ladies clubs,' where men strip for entertainment, can be found in the larger cities. Many revealing fashion trends are created in the United States, and exported around the world for material consumption. The United States government is also the chief promoter of abortion, artificial contraception and 'homosexual rights' in the whole world. At home, both our federal government, and many state governments, have directly persecuted the Catholic Church for its stand on sexual morality, especially as it relates to the administration of its own ministries. Whatever God had planned for the United States as revealed through Our Lady of America, it is painfully clear beyond all shadow of a doubt that Americans have soundly rejected it. So according to the private revelation, now comes the 'misery.'

There are three particular apparitions and messages that I believe directly relate to the future of the United States of America. These three are the apparitions at Fatima, Akita and Champion. While the political fate of the United States is not revealed to us, I think it is safe to assume, based on the global nature of two of these apparitions, confirmed by the local nature of one, that the United States will not remain intact as the political entity we know today. I also think it is safe to say the federal republic that was created in 1789 will be lost as well. In all likelihood, it would appear that the English-speaking people (including those in the former United States) will once again be united under the reign of one English-speaking king, who himself will be subject to the prophesied French-speaking Great Monarch. Likewise, the Spanish-speaking world will also find themselves reunited under a similar king of their own culture. As for the territories of the United States, I think it may be safe to say that they will be divided along the terms of dominant language. The dominant English-speaking regions will likely go to the English king, while the dominant Spanish-speaking regions will likely go to the Spanish-speaking king. All of these kings will be ruled by the French-speaking Great Monarch, the new Holy Roman Emperor, and they will all be Catholic.

The very thought of such a radical geopolitical paradigm-shift is shocking to most of us today, but in light of America's refusal to follow God's plan for us, should it be surprising? We must remember WHY we are an independent nation to begin with. Why was that? Ah yes, American colonists sought independence from a despotic and tyrannical King George III -- a Protestant emperor! God in his mercy granted that independence, and he tolerated the Protestant imperialism of their American descendants. However, when he revealed his plan for us as a nation in 1963, we immediately rejected it outright, and it was within just one decade that America began its downward spiral into irrelevancy. There is no indication of any national repentance in sight. Only a remnant of faithful Catholics (and a few Protestants of good will) remain for the worldwide Chastisement that is to come.

The private revelation of Our Lady of Fatima needs no introduction. It is perhaps the most famous Marian apparition in the world. Canonical approval has been given at both the local and Vatican level. Sister Lucia, the eldest of the three seer children at Fatima Portugal in 1917, revealed that as a result of the 20th century, many souls would go to hell, and the primary cause of their damnation would be sexual impurity. Because the United States of America has virtually led the way in sexual impurity toward the latter half of the 20th century, until now, this First Secret of Fatima does not bode well for us as a nation of people....

Our Lady showed us a great sea of fire which seemed to be under the earth. Plunged in this fire were demons and souls in human form, like transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating about in the conflagration, now raised into the air by the flames that issued from within themselves together with great clouds of smoke, now falling back on every side like sparks in a huge fire, without weight or equilibrium, and amid shrieks and groans of pain and despair, which horrified us and made us tremble with fear. The demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repulsive likeness to frightful and unknown animals, all black and transparent. This vision lasted but an instant. How can we ever be grateful enough to our kind heavenly Mother, who had already prepared us by promising, in the first Apparition, to take us to heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of fear and terror.

First Secret of Fatima

The Second Secret of Fatima relates directly to the end of World War I and the start of World War II, Here the United States is indirectly referenced, because America was a chief player in both World War I and World War II. It was our unnecessary involvement in World War I that ultimately brought about World War II, and it is after World War II that America (alongside Russia's Soviet Union) establishes the New World Order that would ultimately play out the final drama in these latter days...

You have seen hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to my Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end: but if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will break out during the Pontificate of Pope Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that he is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to my Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated. In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she shall be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.

Second Secret of Fatima

A few things should be pointed out here. Our Lady of Fatima wanted to establish a world devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The United States of America was dedicated to the Immaculate Conception by the Catholic bishops at the First Council of Baltimore back in 1846. The National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception was built in honour of this patronage, in Washington DC, during the time of Sister Mary Ephrem's visitations by Our Lady of America. This apparition of Mary requested that a statue of her as "Our Lady of America" be placed in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception by the bishops in solemn procession as a sign that America had accepted God's plan of chastity and spiritual purity. The statue was never placed there, and remains at the Blessed John Paul II Cultural Centre in Washington DC, just blocks away from the National Shrine. It is placed in an ideal location for a future procession, however, it looks as if the Chastisement of America will have to come first. Regarding the requested Fatima consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, that did not happen in a timely manner. Sister Lucia plainly stated that the consecration came too late, and did not follow the full instructions of Our Lady of Fatima. So while the effects of the coming Chastisement will be mitigated because of it, they will not be prevented. Russia did indeed spread its errors around the world, as prophesied, and persecuted the Church most severely. Of the many errors Russia spread, one of the most damning was sexual liberation, which was carried to America by Soviet moles in the media and universities. The objective was to weaken America's moral foundation and thus prepare it for an eventual communist takeover. (See the writings of Friedrich Engels for details of this strategy.) Rather than embrace the message of Our Lady of America, we Americans (mostly Protestants and cultural Catholics) chose the message of Soviet moles instead, fully and wholeheartedly embracing sexual immorality as our new national norm, in what came to be called the 'sexual revolution.' Our Lady of Fatima went on to describe what would come of this...

I write in obedience to you, my God, who command me to do so through his Excellency the Bishop of Leiria and through your Most Holy Mother and mine. After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: 'Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: 'something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White 'we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God.

Third Secret of Fatima

When the Vatican unveiled the third secret, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the current Pope Benedict XVI, explained that the language of the third secret was apocalyptic in nature, and as a result should be interpreted in a highly symbolic manner. The image painted is symbolically a world destroyed by the errors of communism, both directly and indirectly, the faith of millions left in ruin, and the torturous persecutions of the Church reaching even as high as the pope himself. Pope John Paul II suffered two assassination attempts, one of them (the most famous and public one), was prompted by the Soviet KGB. Who knows what future persecutions await the Church, and what further sufferings await the pope. Students of private revelation have an idea. Something interesting about the solar phenomenon surrounding Our Lady of Fatima. As reported by some 70,000 people present at the event in 1917; the sun appeared to dance and twirl in the sky, taking on all shapes and colours, then it plunged to earth, terrifying all who witnessed it, leaving their rain-soaked clothing and ground dry, before returning to its natural state in the sky. Pope Paul VI believed this miraculous event was a forewarning of some terrible future Chastisement involving fire from the sky that would cleanse the earth and leave it 'dry' for the persecuted Church to begin her work of preaching the gospel again. It is here Our Lady of Fatima retires her message, and picks it up again as Our Lady of Akita in Japan in 1973.

The Apparition of Our Lady of Akita occurred in the remote area of Yuzawadai, near the city of Akita in Japan. This occurred between July and October of 1973. Like Fatima this apparition and message has received proper canonical approval from the local ordinary, Bishop John Shojiro Ito gave approval on April 22, 1984. This was followed by the 1988 private approval of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (currently Pope Benedict XVI), as relayed by the former Ambassador of the Philippines to the Holy See, Mr. Howard Dee. In keeping with canonical norms, however, the approval of Bishop Ito should be enough for us. The private revelation at Akita is chilling and when asked about its nature, Bishop Ido replied that the message of Akita is the message of Fatima. Sister Agnes reported the following...

July 6, 1973

"My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed me well in abandoning all to follow me. Is the infirmity of your ears painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure. Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer? Pray in reparation for the sins of men. Each person in this community is my irreplaceable daughter. Do you say well the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist? Then, let us pray it together."

"Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father pleading for the coming of His Kingdom."

"Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls."

"Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen."

When the prayer was finished, the Heavenly Voice said: "Pray very much for the Pope, Bishops, and Priests. Since your Baptism you have always prayed faithfully for them. Continue to pray very much...very much. Tell your superior all that passed today and obey him in everything that he will tell you. He has asked that you pray with fervour."

August 3, 1973

"My daughter, my novice, do you love the Lord? If you love the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you."

"It is very important...You will convey it to your superior."

"Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates."

"In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him forming a cohort of victim souls. Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger. I desire this also from your community...that it love poverty, that it sanctify itself and pray in reparation for the ingratitude and outrages of so many men.

Recite the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist with awareness of its meaning; put it into practice; offer in reparation (whatever God may send) for sins. Let each one endeavour, according to capacity and position, to offer herself entirely to the Lord."

"Even in a secular institute prayer is necessary. Already souls who wish to pray are on the way to being gathered together. Without attaching to much attention to the form, be faithful and fervent in prayer to console the Master."

After a silence:

"Is what you think in your heart true? Are you truly decided to become the rejected stone? My novice, you who wish to belong without reserve to the Lord, to become the spouse worthy of the Spouse, make your vows knowing that you must be fastened to the Cross with three nails. These three nails are poverty, chastity, and obedience. Of the three, obedience is the foundation. In total abandon, let yourself be led by your superior. He will know how to understand you and to direct you."

October 13, 1973

"My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to you. You will inform your superior."

After a short silence:

"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests."

"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.

"The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them"

"With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation."

"It is Bishop Ito, who directs your community."

And She smiled and then said:

"You have still something to ask? Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice. From now on you will obey the one sent to you and your superior."

"Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamities which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved."

Message of Our Lady of Akita

Again, like in the Third Secret of Fatima, we see the coming of flames. Our Lady of Fatima revealed a miracle of God, in which the earth was nearly scorched by the sun witnessed by tens of thousands of people. In a vision she revealed to the three children: "an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand." At Akita, our Lady again warned: "Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son." So here we see the future of our fallen world, which awaits us in terror, the transition from our present world into the world that the Venerable Holzhauser foresaw, the exit of the 'fifth period' of the Church and the dawn of the 'sixth period.' It shall be inaugurated by fire from the sky. Where, however, is America's place in all of this? What becomes of the United States? Surely something special awaits the last remaining superpower of the world?

To answer we have only this. In 1859, just one year after Mary appeared in France to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, revealing herself as the 'Immaculate Conception,' in what has come to be known there as the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes, she appeared again to a young Adele Brice in Champion Wisconsin, just outside of Green Bay. The apparition and message were approved by Bishop David L. Ricken, ordinary of Green Bay, on December 8, 2010. Here Our Lady revealed herself as the 'Queen of Heaven' and 'Our Lady of Good Help.' The private revelation itself is simple, with a very simple instruction, and does not itself include any apocalyptic visions of the future....

As they approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face. Overcome by this heavenly light and the beauty of her amiable visitor, Adele fell on her knees.

'In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?’ asked Adele, as she had been directed.

‘I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them’

'Adele, who is it?'' said one of the women. 'O why can't we see her as you do?' said another weeping.

‘Kneel,’ said Adele, ‘the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.’ Our Blessed Lady turned, looked kindly at them, and said, ‘Blessed are they that believe without seeing. What are you doing here in idleness…while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?’

‘What more can I do, dear Lady?’ said Adele, weeping.

'Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation’

‘But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?’ replied Adele.

‘Teach them,’ replied her radiant visitor, ‘their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’ "

The manifestation of Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though beseeching a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground.

Our Lady of Good Help
Champion Wisconsin

Our Lady of Good Help told the young American girl to do nothing more than teach the Catholic faith to the children of this wild land (America). There is yet one ominous line in this revelation: 'If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them.' In light of later revelations, at Fatima and Akita, this is ominous indeed. Like Fatima however, a miracle occurred at Champion, which foreshadowed the punishment to come upon the United States and the whole world. Our Lady demonstrated her presence with a miracle exactly twelve years after the initial Champion apparition. By this time Adele Brice had become a religious sister. In 1871 a raging wildfire swept through Wisconsin destroying many of the settlements in the area. It was one of the worst in U.S. history. Rather than flee for their lives, Sister Adele and the faithful rushed to the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The fire completely surrounded the shrine, but rather than panic in fear they turned toward Our Lady and prayed. The fire engulfed everything in all directions, singeing the fence around the shrine on all sides, but the shrine, the small plot of land it stood and everyone inside were left untouched. It is a foreshadowing of what is to come upon the people of the United States of America. The same can be said of Canada, Australia, Russia, China, Europe and the whole world. The great and mighty superpower of the United States of America will be thrown in with the lot of every nation, no more special than they, to endure the same Chastisement that is to come. What awaits America? Fire! Not just any fire, but fire from heaven, in some kind of cataclysmic worldwide disaster that will destroy most of the inhabitants of the planet, and leave a world behind that is ruled by Catholic kings, a Great Monarch and a holy pope. It will be the last great era of peace, the sixth age of the Church, before the rise of Antichrist and the end of history.

What then is the moral to this story for Catholics in the United States? Simple. We have only two jobs. First, turn to Our Lady and Lord through the Holy Rosary and the Holy Eucharist. Second, evangelise, Evangelise, EVANGELISE!!! As our Lady told Sister Adele: 'Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation. Teach them their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’ This is our only hope against the heavenly fire that is to come, for if we do this, we will save ourselves by relying on the protection of Jesus through Mary. As it becomes painfully clear that the political influence of the Catholic Church is coming to an end, an the lofty goal of 'Social Justice' appears further and further out of reach, we have nothing left to do but return to our first mission and transform our neighbourhoods one conversion at a time. For our fate is the same as all others. As Our Lady of Fatima prophesied 'entire nations will be annihilated,' so it seems probable that ours will be no exception.

The Catholic Knight: America In Catholic Prophecy

The Failure of Democracy

author unknown

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In those days there was no king in Israel. Each man did that which was right in his own eyes. (Judges 21:25 )
The last verse of the Book of Judges is a summary, the bottom line, of the entire book. It reminds us of the repeated pattern for the previous 21 chapters. Israel kept sinning against God. But what was their problem? Why did Israel go wrong? And what does the Book of Judges, and this verse in particular, have to tell us about God’s ideal civil government – and America today?

By comparing Scripture with Scripture, one comes to the following conclusion: God’s ideal civil government is what may be called “the Righteous Republic.” It is a republic. That is a civil system of limited government. A republic is not a monarchy nor anarchy. Israel had been granted such a government by the direct grant of God. But Israel strayed, and their republic degenerated into a kind of anarchy that was wide open for the rise of a monarchy.

More importantly, Israel’s republic was no longer a righteous republic. It was not righteous because the vast majority of Israelites followed their own inclinations and opinions rather that the Word of God. And when that happens, a republic cannot stand.

ISRAEL AND THE MONARCHY

The text tells us, first, that Israel had no king at this time: “In those days, there was no king in Israel.” Samuel told us this before in Judges 18:1; 19:1, and the entire verse’s wording is repeated nearly verbatim for Judges 17:6. Whatever else Israel was or was not, it certainly was not a monarchy. True, they had been conquered by external monarchies, but those were not Israelite governments. And, also true, there were a couple of times in which certain wicked power-hungry Israelites attempted to establish a monarchy. Abimelech, you will recall, attempted that in Judges 9.

Someone will ask, “But were not the judges such as Samson and Gideon kings?” No, they were judges, not kings. Judges were temporary and had limited power. Kings were permanent and had far greater power. The judges were raised up by God for awhile, but left no dynasty. Kings, on the other hand, left their children as heirs to the throne.
God’s ideal for Israel was that she be ruled by God as her king. The judges and elders would only serve as vice-regents, as it were. God was the King, and therefore the ideal was that there would be no human king. And yet, when God gave laws and instructions to Israel in the five Books of Moses on how to live as a nation, God saw the day coming when Israel would want a human king. Very well, then, said the Lord. If that is the case, then he must fit certain qualifications. Those qualifications and limitations are given in Deu 17:14-20.

That God allowed for a monarchy under certain conditions tells us something vital for our study: it is not so much the size of a government that matters so much as its relationship to God and His Laws. For example, God later blessed some Israelite monarchs. In fact, some of Israel’s kings were quite righteous and blessed – David, Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah, to name a few. And, on the other hand, God cursed Israel at times when it had no monarch but was very unrighteous, such as during the time of the Judges. The principle we can learn from that is this: a godly monarchy is better than an ungodly democracy, republic or whatever else a nation may have as its system of government. What really matters is not the size of a government, but its righteousness.

DOING WHAT IS RIGHT IN YOUR OWN EYES

Our text goes on to say, “everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Is this a commendation or a condemnation? Many people, especially those who favor complete religious pluralism and democracy, consider this a high accolade. What greater praise of a system can there be than this: no tyranny, but complete freedom?
But this is no congratulations; it is a condemnation. The phrase is repeated elsewhere in Holy Scripture with God’s obvious condemnation. For instance, Deu 12:8 says, “You shall not do what we are doing here today, every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes.” Then there is Pro 21:2, “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart.” Virtually the same words occur also in Pro 16:2. And then there are other verses in Proverbs which paraphrase the idea, such as Pro 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."

Earlier we saw a form of this phrase in the Book of Judges. When Samson saw the woman in Timnah, he lusted after her. He forsook God’s righteousness and turned to mere sexual desire. Judges 14:3 says that he loved her because “she looks good to me.” The Hebrew literally reads, “She is right in my eyes.” Samson was acting just like any other Israelite at that time.

You may recall another recurring phrase in the Book of Judges: “Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 2:11; 3:7; 3:12; 4:1; 6:1; 10:6; 13:1). This is no coincidence. Samuel, the inspired author of the Book of Judges, is intentionally telling us something in these phrases, and it is this: When a man does what is right in his own eyes, it is necessarily evil in the eyes of the Lord.

This follows what the Bible teaches about the relationship of our natures, our minds and our wills. This has perhaps best been explored and explained by the great Jonathan Edwards. Edwards showed that according to Biblical psychology, a man’s will always follows his mind, and his mind always follows his nature. Hence, men are born in sin and have sinful natures; they therefore always see things according to that nature; and consequently, their wills always follow their sinful minds. When God saves a man, he must change his nature – that is what we call regeneration, or the new birth. As a result, we have the mind of Christ, or what Scripture calls the renewing of enlightening of our minds. As a result, our wills agree and trust what the mind now sees. Such and such a thing is right in our eyes in the proper way, for we see as God sees things. That is faith. But when there is no faith, there is only sin. The Israelites did what they wanted to by following the dictates of their fallen minds and natures. That being so, it was necessarily evil in the sight of the Lord.

THE HERESY OF DEMOCRACY

This phrase, “every man did what was right in his own eyes,” can be summed up in a single word when it comes to a society: democracy. You will recall that I noted that many sociologists and political scientists and politicians hail this verse as a description of the ideal society – no monarchy, but complete freedom. But, as we have also shown, God’s estimation is the exact opposite. It is a condemnation, not a compliment. But why?

One reason has to do with the historical origins of democracy. Most political historians trace the roots of democracy to ancient Greece. Well enough, but that does not make it good. To be good, something must be Biblical, not merely ancient. Monarchism is also ancient, but not necessarily good. Moreover, we would do well to heed the several warnings in Scripture about Greek philosophy (such as in 1Co 1). The pinnacle of Greek democracy was found in Plato’s Republic. Actually, it was not entirely a democracy or a republic by today’s definitions. It was certainly an improvement on Egyptian Pharaohism and other tyrannies of the ancient world. But Plato’s Republic did not qualify as the Righteous Republic according to God’s Word. Why? Because it was founded on human reason and not on divine revelation.

There is another way of looking at the problem of democracy. I grant that, to a certain extent, the verse before us describes democracy – no king, only freedom. But since it is a condemnation, then we cannot truthfully say that the Bible teaches that democracy is the best kind of government for a society to have.

Before we go any further, it is necessary to remind you of what you all learned in your high school civics class (or should have learned). The terms “democracy” and “republic” are not synonyms. A republic is not a democracy. They are similar, but not identical. A republic is a limited government with a constitution that sets down specific principles. A democracy, on the other hand, is not necessarily based on a constitution. A democracy is based more on the will of the people. Thus, if the people so will, then that government may be diminished or enlarged. If it is diminished, it becomes a “pure democracy” and then anarchy. If it is enlarged, it becomes a monarchy or a tyranny.

Of course, this is not to confuse the terms with the two political parties associated with them. Most Republicans are in fact advocates of democracy, not supporters of the republic. Does it make a difference? Yes. The writers of our national constitution nowhere used the word “democracy,” but rather “republic.”

So far, this is not too controversial. But let me throw some gasoline on the fire. Some years ago, the founder of a leading conservative political organization became famous when he said, “I don’t believe in democracy.” That leader disagreed with democracy because he favored the idea of a republic. But he did not go far enough. I do not believe in democracy, but for a different reason. Democracy is not the ideal system, for it does not match God’s ideal, namely that of the Righteous Republic. Those who advocate the idea of a republic are closer to the truth than those who believe in democracy, but they share that error when they fail to see what the Book of Judges teaches. That lesson is this: a republic is better than a democracy, but a godly democracy is better than an ungodly republic. Righteousness is the main thing.

But there is another important principle: a republic is more conducive to true righteousness than a democracy is. Why? The answer is simple. A democracy is based on the principle of “vox populi,” or “the voice of the people.” If the people, for example, want to legalize vice, then so be it. If 51% of the people want to legalize immorality, then it must be right. If they want to legalize abortion, drugs, homosexuality and other vices that God strictly condemns, well, then, we must obey man rather than God. In a democracy, “vox populi” is the same as “vox dei.” Democracy means that the voice of the people is the voice of God, which really means that in democracy Man is God.
You see, democracy is wrong, not merely because it inherently leads to either anarchism or tyranny, but because it rejects the Biblical truth of the Righteous Republic. Democracy necessarily rests upon the idea of religious pluralism. It simply cannot produce “one nation under God,” but a nation under whichever god the people want. But the Righteous Republic is first, last and always “One nation under God.” The Bible says, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psa 33:12). But such is impossible under democracy.

Now, as soon as you speak of “the heresy of democracy,’ you will be totally misunderstood. Those who believe in democracy will go paranoid and jump to the erroneous conclusion that you are advocating tyranny and totalitarianism. Nothing could be further from the truth; the reverse is more accurate. Democracy rejects human totalitarianism as the ideal, and in that it is right. But democracy necessarily also rejects divine totalitarianism, and in that it is wrong. It simply cannot tolerate the notion of “One nation under the one God,” ruled according to God’s Laws.

But this leads to other problems. Those who advocate the Righteous Republic are the strongest opponents of human tyranny. Democracy opposes tyranny, but if you examine history closely, you will find that advocates of democracy would prefer a human tyrant to divine rulership. Such persons dread Communism and Nazism, but they fear and hate the idea of a Righteous Republic far more. Why? Because by nature, man wishes to be his own god and his own ruler. If his democracy fails, then he would accept a totalitarian state if it is a human totalitarianism and not a divine one.

We see this in history. Men prefer anything to the Righteous Republic. That is what the Book of Judges is all about. Israel tried again and again all sorts of alternatives to God’s Righteous Republic. They turned to foreign tyrannies, they turned to anarchy, they turned to democracy. But they turned to God only when God sent judges and revival. Sinful men do not turn to God, but naturally turn away from God. That, friends, is why democracy appeals to the natural man more than the Righteous Republic does. Man would rather be ruled by a Stalin or a Hitler or other dictators than by God.

The favourite word in a Righteous Republic is just that, “righteousness.” The key verse to this system is Pro 14:34, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” It is “one nation under God.” It is all different in a democracy. In a democracy, Man is what matters, not God. It is “one nation under Man.” In a system where the majority rules, and that majority follows the dictates of the fallen heart, the resulting dictum becomes: “Sin exalts a nation, but righteousness is a disgrace to any nation.” We need not look far for examples of this. Here in democratic America, righteousness is going down the drains, and the sewers of immoral unrighteousness are being opened like floodgates. The only “disgrace” in America is Biblical righteousness. In democracy, all vice becomes virtue, and virtue becomes vice. Why? Because in democracy, every man does what is right in his own eyes.

THE PROBLEM OF FREEDOM

Related to the heresy of democracy is the problem of freedom. In a Righteous Republic, there is freedom to worship, but in a democracy there is the worship of freedom. In the one, there is freedom to worship God according to the Bible, and unbiblical and pagan religions are suppressed. In the other, freedom itself is worshipped, and eventually the true worship of God is suppressed.

There is a sense in which ”freedom” is a good thing. The Bible says so. But it never advocates freedom merely as freedom, or freedom for freedom’s sake. The freedom God approves of is freedom from sin and freedom to worship and obey Him. God freed Israel from Egypt, not so the Jews could sin all they wanted to, but so they could worship and obey God rather than Pharaoh. The same is true in personal salvation: God saves us and frees us, not so that we can serve sin (which is slavery) but so that we can serve Christ (which is true freedom). See how it works?

“Freedom” in a democracy, however, has a different meaning altogether from freedom in a Righteous Republic. Democratic freedom is what is shown in Judges 21:25, “Everyone did what was right in his eyes.” Such freedom means freedom to “do your own thing,” regardless of what God or the Bible says. Democratic freedom means freedom to sin, not freedom to worship God in God’s way.

Most of us would agree that tyranny, such as Marxism, is against the idea of freedom of worship. That is only partly true. Human tyranny believes in a sort of freedom of worship – the freedom to worship Man, be he the Caesar, the Pharaoh, the Furher or the State, which is Man collectivized. Human tyranny does not recognize the freedom to worship God, for such is a false religion which must be suppressed.

Most see that in tyranny. Bur I suggest that the same is true in democracy, at least as it differs from the Righteous Republic. Granted, Christians may enjoy the freedom to worship God for awhile; many do. But in principle, democracy is antithetical to true worship of God. It is schizophrenic – it is pressed between righteousness and unrighteousness, between God and Man. And it always gives in to Man and unrighteousness. Eventually, democracy becomes an opponent of the Righteous Republic, and opens the door to one of two things.

WHAT DEMOCRACY LEADS TO

Democracy may lead directly to what some call “pure democracy,” which is another word for anarchism. It usually does this by means of that system known as Libertarianism. How does this happen? Well, it happens like this. Those who advocate freedom always want more, like a narcotic. Soon, they worship freedom for freedoms’ sake. Their god becomes a trinity known as “Libertas, fraternitas, aequalitas” – liberty, fraternity, equality. Maybe you have heard that those were the three great words of the French Revolution: “Liberte, fraternite, egalite!": And perhaps you know that the French revolutionaries were consistent in their democracy. First it led to a kind of anarchism. Then the worship of Man. Then the tyranny of Man over Man. Some liberty! And essential to such a system was the vehement opposition to the Righteous Republic.
Democracy, then, can easily lead to anarchy. But not for long.

Israel was in a sort of anarchy that waffled in and out of democracy at this time. But then it called out for a change, as in the French Revolution. In 1Sa 8, we read of Israel crying out to the last of the judges, Samuel. They cried out for a king. Imagine that. They went from democracy to anarchy to tyranny. The pendulum swung completely. The middle of the Righteous Republic was rejected, so the pendulum swung and wouldn’t stop until it became a monarchy. My point is, a democracy always follows this path. It cannot simply stay a democracy. It tends to lead to lawlessness (“freedom”), and this produces the call for law and order – Man’s law, not God’s. And that means monarchy. And if not a righteous monarchy, then an unrighteous monarchy, or what we call tyranny.

Democracy rarely leads to the Righteous Republic. Usually it leads away from it. In fact, democracy is usually the door through which a nation passes when it departs from being a Righteous Republic.

Take America. We have two sets of “Founding Fathers.” The first Founding Fathers were the Pilgrims, who were Puritans. They believed in the Righteous Republic. Their theological cousins back in England helped set up the Puritan Commonwealth, which was directly patterned after the Righteous Republic in the Bible. That system lasted only till 1662. The old monarchy came back. And that same monarchy eventually went after the Puritan Republic in the colonies. That produced the tyranny against which the American colonialists revolted in the 1770’s. But what did they put in its place?

Here is where I disagree with the two leading theories of our history. One theory says that this second group of Founding Fathers were all Evangelical Christians who advocated the Righteous Republic. I disagree. Franklin and Jefferson, among others, were Deists (the grandfathers of Liberalism) and were no friends of either Evangelicalism or the Righteous Republic. On the other hand, I disagree with the theory that all these men were Deists. Witherspoon and others certainly were not Deists. Moreover, many of these second Founding Fathers believed in the Righteous Republic.

The result? A compromise. The new nation would be a republic all right, but not quite so righteous as the Puritans once had. This was the fatal flaw. It has taken us some 200 years, but that crack has become a Grand Canyon. The flaw was that the republic allowed for religious pluralism and did not stress that it would be “one nation under God” as the original Puritan Pilgrims had envisaged.

Now, the odd thing is that our republic became less and less righteous, and concurrently it became increasingly democratic. This was no coincidence. Moreover, we have gone almost full circle. Has it occurred to you that the English monarchy against which our fathers rebelled was more righteous than America is today? Sure, its tax system was wrong, but look at ours. But righteousness is not measured like that. Just look where we are today – abortion, homosexuality, drugs, and so on. Even the English monarchy of the eighteenth century did not allow those vices. So we have become worse than what we rebelled against. We have gone from the frying pan into the flame. We are going full circle, too, for our unrighteous democracy is leading to tyranny, just as it did in Israel. It is a tyranny worse than King George's.

IDEAL ISRAEL

Back to our text, Israel was far from being a Righteous Republic. Why? Because it had rejected God as its king. It was no longer “one nation under God.” It chose democracy over the Righteous Republic: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” Had Israel stayed with God and God’s system, then the Book of Judges would have been totally different. It would have ended with these words: “In those glorious days, God was King over Israel. And every man did what was right in the eyes of God.”

In some senses, Israel was to be different from the nations. It was not to follow other gods, for example. Furthermore, its laws were different, and in this respect: it had certain ceremonial and civic laws that were not applicable to the Gentiles. But those laws were temporary; they were abolished by Christ. But when Israel as a whole rejected the Messiah, it forfeited its unique status as a special theocracy.

In other respects, Israel was not to be an exception, but an example. If it properly used and obeyed the Laws which God had given, then it would set the example for others. Others were not to follow its example in those distinct ceremonial laws, but in the moral laws as they applied to religion and government.

Conversely, when Israel rejected God and His blueprint for society, it exemplified how all other nations turn away from God. Israel became like all the others. That is why Israel wanted a king – 1 Samuel 8 explicitly says this. Israel went downhill. And so do all others who start as a Righteous Republic and turn to humanistic democracy. As America’s history shows, when you reject a Righteous Republic, you soon end up with a very unrighteous democracy and then anarchy and then tyranny.

CONCLUSION

Let me state a few brief conclusions. First, all political and social systems are good or bad depending on how they weigh up against what God says in the Bible. A system is not good or bad merely by how it measures up with “freedom,” much less economic success. A nation is good or bad by how it measures up with God’s Word.

Second, no matter how good the system is at the start, it is only as good as the people in it. You know the famous quote from Alexis De Tocqueville: “America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” What makes a people good is when they follow God’s Word.

Third, Israel had the best possible system, but failed. America began with a pretty good system – not quite the Righteous Republic of the Puritans, but better than the French Revolution and others. But look where we have sunk to.

Lastly, what is God’s answer? God’s Word calls for national repentance and a return to His Word. In the Book of Judges, we saw how God sent judges to Israel. Israel repented, and there were small revivals. But there were also judgments. When a nation rejects God and His Word for them as a people, then God either sends men and women of God to revive them, or He sends cruel tyrants to judge them. Since America has cashed in its Righteous Republic for a mess of democratic humanism and religious pluralism, it can be assured that God will send it either revival or judgment.

The Failure of Democracy