Alpha Omega

The eighth chapter continues with more chastisements upon a disobedient mankind. Again, God does not cause these chastisements; it is man who brings these misfortunes upon himself by refusing to obey God’s law (Bar.3:12-13).

It begins with the opening of the seventh seal. After this seal was opened, everything became quiet for half an hour (v.1). This represented a very short period of time — at most a few years. Our Lord knows the actual length of time.

This time of quiet is symbolic for a time of calm before the spiritual storm that soon began after the Renaissance. During this time period, St. John saw seven angels standing in the presence of God and each was given a trumpet (v.2).

Another angel then came with a golden censer that was filled with the prayers of the saints (v.3) that they offered up to our Lord to keep the Holy Mother Church free of heretical teachings. St. John saw this as the smoke of incense ascending up before God (v.4).

The angel then filled the censer with humility from God’s altar and threw it to the earth (v.5). This ended the time of quiet and caused a great earthquake or upheaval of everyday life. This was a disturbance that was felt by all of Christianity. This censer marked the start of the Reformation.

During the Reformation many people left the Catholic Church and formed their own churches. The Reformation also gave the Catholic Church the Council of Trent (1545 - 1563). This council introduced reforms that subsequently strengthened Her teachings.

It also validated those teachings that were confirmed at the Council of Florence (1438 - 1443). With this She maintained the spiritual strength She needed to fight off the fundamentalistic teachings (religious heresies and the false scientific beliefs) that arose along with the truthful scientific revelations.

Many people do not understand the authority of the councils. Some believe that the councils should hold primacy in the church instead of the pope. Some even want to place the laity in charge of the Catholic Church. But this is not what our Lord wants.

First of all, it was Vatican I (1869 - 1870) which first defined papal infallibility, not the pope. Secondly, the Catholic Church is much like a parent with several children. When a parent tells a child to do something (or not do something) the child must obey. (A parent does not have the authority to command the child to break the law.) If the child’s parents are in disagreement, then the child is only confused and does not know which one to obey. When such happens the disagreeing parents must decide whom the child will obey.

A similar situation prevails with the Mother Church. She has the authority to guide Her children (Mt.16:18-19; 28:19-20). However, She does not have the authority to command the children of God to break the law. When the bishops are in disagreement on which course of action the children of God should take, then it is the duty of the Holy See to act as supreme head of the Catholic Church and guide them.

The question arises: Can the Mother Church ever be wrong? The answer to this can be found by asking if a parent can be wrong in guiding a child. However, Jesus Christ did not say: what is bound in heaven will be bound on earth and what is loose in heaven will be loose on earth. He said: what thou shalt bound on earth will be bound in heaven and what thou shalt loose on earth will be loose in heaven. There is a subtle difference in these two statements.

The first one implies that what precepts God has in heaven will prevail in His church. The other implies that what laws His church makes He will accept.

For example, He has no prohibition to eating meat on Good Friday. God has nothing against a woman being a priestess or a priest (priestess) getting married. Nor does God have anything against someone having a mistress or master (lover), for King David had them (2Sam.5:13). He has no prohibition to practicing birth control, if one’s reasons for doing so are for love. God has nothing against seeking pleasure for the sake of pleasure as long as no one is hurt.

These are all laws and teachings of the Mother Church which one must follow until She changes them. One must not forget that He gave everyone the law they must obey.

What this means is that the bishops of the Mother Church must answer to God for how they guide the Catholic Church. If they give their flocks heavy burdens to carry or they prevent the children of God intrusted to their care from growing spiritually, then they must answer to God for this.

In areas of controversy, they are the guides which one should listen to and follow their advice.

Our Lord did not say to obey the bishops except when one believes them to be wrong. He simply said: “Obey your prelates and be subject to them.” If they are doing wrong themselves, then the children of God can only do as they are told, not as the bishops do. However, the bishops cannot command the children of God to break the law.

Nor can the bishops of the Catholic Church command one to help them obtain some mundane goal. To obtain such goals, the most that they can do is to calmly and peacefully make a request to the children of God entrusted to their care for help.

As soon as the Holy Mother Church was strengthened, the angels prepared to blow their trumpets (v.6).

The first angel sounded his trumpet at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution (v.7). The hail and fire mingled with blood mentioned in the verse manifests the damage that is done both to man and to the environment by uncontrolled industrialization. Only one third of the earth and one third of the trees are burnt up symbolizing that the damage is not very widespread at this time.

Also, only a small minority of mankind have noticed the damage that uncontrolled industrialization does both to man and to the environment. These conservationists cried for help in ecological conservation. But to no avail; the rest of mankind ignored them. This seen in all the green grass being burnt up (v.7).

This does not mean to imply that an industrial society is an ungodly society. On the contrary, it is the will of God that man make life easier, safer and healthier by building industrial societies. However, wild, rampant industrialization will eventually destroy the earth.

It is not the will of God that man’s greed for power and money should allow industrialization to grow unimpeded. It is the will of God that man control the industrialization of society with proper ecological goals and objectives. Then industry will not grow uncontrolled and society will prosper by it.

The second angel sounded his trumpet (v.8-9) when the oceans and seas started to become polluted and exploited. This pollution and exploitation are not very widespread. This is seen in only one third of the marine waters turning to “bloody” or polluted water (v.8) and only one third of the marine life dying (v.9).

Only one third of the ships are destroyed manifesting that only a small minority of humanity has noticed the pollution and the exploitation and all the damage that pollution and exploitation are doing to mankind and to the earth.

When the earth’s drinking water started to become polluted, the third angel blew his trumpet (v.10-11). This pollution is caused from all the chemicals and wastes that are dumped into the rivers, lakes, streams, fountains and other fresh water reserves from whence man obtains drinking water.

Polluted water does not taste nearly as good as unpolluted water. Therefore, it becomes “wormwood” or bitter and many people become sick and die from all the carcinogens and other cancer causing agents in the water.

Again, only one third of the water is damaged (v.11) symbolizing that the damage is not very widespread at this time. Again, only a small percent of the population recognize that man is beginning to destroy the planet with uncontrolled industrialization.

The fourth trumpet was sounded by an angel (v.12) as the air started to become polluted. The Sun, the moon and many stars disappeared because of the thick air pollution. This may seem unreal to many people. However, when one compares a polluted city sky with a relatively unpolluted country sky, the difference becomes obvious. One can do naught else but to agree that the celestial bodies do not seem nearly as numerous nor as bright.

Still the majority of mankind does not notice the damage that man is doing to the earth through uncontrolled industrialization. Hence, only one third of the celestial bodies are darkened (v.12).

One should note that the central theme of these four angels and their warning trumpets is a call for ecological conservation and prudence in the planning and building of industrialized societies. If man does not stop polluting and exploiting the earth and negligently pushing animals and plants into extinction, then unrepairable damage could result.

That is, global warming, ozone depletion and the other greenhouse effects of uncontrolled industrialization could eventually damage the earth so much that the extinction of millions of species, including man, could result. Which is to say that if man cannot learn to live in symbiosis with nature and if man cannot learn to build industrialized societies without destroying nature, then man is the endangered species.

The eighth chapter then describes an eagle, representing the spirit of St. John, flying around the earth during the height of the Industrial Revolution (v.13). He is saying woe, woe, woe. The warning is very simple. All that man has done to God’s creation and to God’s children is bad, but what man is about to do is even worse.

Chapter nine starts with the fifth angel blowing a trumpet (v.1). This event marked the official announcement of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary by the Mother Church, in 1854. The star, representing our Blessed Mother Mary, is given the key to the bottomless pit of death and hell (v.1).

She opens the pit (v.2) and smoke arises and fills the air with greed from the depths of man’s sinful soul. This greed darkens man’s perception in how to properly use the inventions of the Industrial Revolution. St. John saw this as the Sun and the air being darkened by the smoke (v.2).

The locusts of verse three symbolize the automobile and all other internal combustion engine vehicles. The automobile comes from the smoke of the pit (v.3) because it is the corruption and greed of man that controls the auto industry and all those industries that are associated with the automobile industry — oil companies, auto parts manufacturing companies, auto insurance companies, auto repair shops, auto parts shops, auto unions and traffic courts.

Each of these institutions have but one goal: to get as much money as possible from the unsuspecting consumer. They will do anything to obtain that goal.

The locusts have power to sting symbolizing that the type of misery they cause is not permanent (v.3). But St. John sees that these institutions do not hurt anything green (v.4). These are the children of God.

Any discomfort the automobile and its related institutions brings to the children of God is a misfortune that they accept as God’s will. They do not allow the misery caused by the automobile and its related industries to come between them and God’s law of love. It is only the evil one’s henchmen who are tormented by the automobile and its related institutions (v.4).

Satan’s henchmen are in agony for only five months (v.5,10) symbolizing that the anguish to them caused by the automobile is not very great, nor is it a permanent misery. But it is enough of a discomfort that they will seek to be free of it and will curse it. Hence, verse six says that they seek death.

This misery is mainly financial in nature. The henchmen of the devil value money above everything else. It is their false god. But the children of God value it only as a means of obtaining goods and services and they are not in agony by its loss.

The cost of owning and maintaining an automobile is extremely high. Since the wicked people of this world do not wish to part with their money but also wish to own automobiles, they are temporarily grieved by the financial loss that they incur through the automobile. But because the children of God look upon such loss as the will of God. They are not hurt. Again, these misfortunes are a form of chastisement upon a disobedient man in order to bring man to repentance for sins.

The description St. John gives of the locusts (v.7-10) is representative of the automobile. They look like horses prepared for battle (v.7) because the auto is equipped with many cheap gimmicks and tawdry gadgets.

For example, instead of accurate gauges they have ineffective indicator warning lights and unnecessary buzzers and bells, and other inadequate safety measures. Automotive vehicles come equipped with cumbersome safety belts and deficient air bags and many governments have laws that require installation of these devices and their use in automobiles by passengers.

But this is like closing the barn door after the cows have gotten out, for if these same governments made sure that a person could properly handle an automobile before allowing him or her to drive, then there would be fewer accidents and less need for things like safety belts and air bags.

Automobiles are improperly and poorly constructed and not built with the consumer in mind. They are built with the goal of keeping the profit margin as high as possible for the auto manufacturing industry.

For example, there are different oil filters, fuel filters, air filters, break pads, tires, windshield wipers and head and tail lights for every different type of automotive vehicle on the road today. The same is true for many other parts of the auto; they are made unique for each particular vehicle. This does nothing more than keep the cost of these parts at an inflated price. Which in turn keeps the cost of the automotive vehicle at an inflated price.

If all the automobile manufacturing companies had more interchangeable parts – e.g. interchangeable parts for all small autos, all medium sized autos and all large autos, pickup trucks and vans – then this would lower the cost of automotive vehicles considerably. It would also lower the cost of maintenance and repairing of automobiles. (One should note that this uniqueness of parts for manufactured goods is not exclusive to the auto industry. Every manufactured product today has unique parts in order to keep the price of the goods at an inflated price.)

All this is to say nothing of the travesty of justice that exists in oil companies, auto parts manufacturing companies, auto insurance companies, auto repair shops, auto parts shops, auto unions and traffic courts. Each of these institutions are designed to take money from those who can least afford it — the poor.

For example, traffic courts are no different from the hated Inquisition, where the accused had no rights, was guilty until proven innocent, was not afforded legal counsel although opposed by a seasoned, veteran prosecutor and was found guilty solely on the word of his accuser.

A similar situation prevails in traffic court. The defendant has virtually no rights, is presumed guilty until proven innocent and is found guilty on just the word of a police officer. Just as with the Inquisition, the accused stands before the judge with only their word to defend themself against the word of their accuser. The accused must also face a seasoned prosecutor without the benefit of a lawyer, and in most cases these prosecutors know all the strategies and how to win their litigations. The defendant is lucky if he or she even knows the law.

While it is true that the accused can hire a lawyer, such action is ludicrous. It is absurd! Most of the time the accused cannot afford to hire a lawyer. A lawyer would cost hundreds of dollars, while the fine of a traffic ticket would only cost the defendant a few tens of dollars. It does not take a lawyer to figure out which course of action a poor person can take. In most cases is far easier — and cheaper — just to pay the fine and be done with it. This latter is exactly what traffic courts are design to accomplish, all under the disguise of administering justice.

This is to say nothing of the fact that a poor person must pay a larger portion of his or her salary to pay the fine than a rich person, a clear violation of the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The traffic court judges know this and they do not offer the defendant any help in this area. This is nothing more than theft from the children of God by the government and is a rape of the law by those in charge.

Thus, traffic court judges and the district attorneys of these courts have prostituted the law. They have become whores and the traffic courts they serve in have become whore houses. Finally, there are similar injustices with all the industries associated with the automobile. This is why it is a locust come out of the greed of man’s soul.

The great cost in owning and maintaining an automobile gives it a crown like gold (v.7). It has the face of a man (v.7) because it is people who drive it. The long hair (v.8) is symbolic for the high speeds obtainable with the automobile. These high speeds are not necessary and are a cause of many deaths. This is seen in the teeth of a lion (v.9). Automobiles are made of iron. This is seen in the breastplates of the locusts that are as iron (v.9). Finally, the noise produced by their wings is seen for the noise produced by the engine.

One must point out that it is man’s choice whether to use the automobile in such a way that it will help mankind and society or to allow man’s greed for power and money to control the automobile and its associated institutions. Man chose the latter. Therefore, its king is from the bottomless pit of the evil of man’s soul.

Its king is from the bottomless pit (v.11). This is Satan who dwells in the center of misery and death and seeks to destroy all that is good. He is called Exterminans which is Latin and means to drive out or to expel. The Hebrew Abaddon means destruction and the Greek Apollyon means destroyer.

Since man’s misuse of the automobile has become a tool used by the devil, he is its evil king. If man were to bring truth and justice into the automobile industry and all those industries that are associated with the automobile — oil companies, auto parts manufacturing companies, auto insurance companies, auto repair shops, auto parts shops, auto unions and traffic courts — then Satan would no longer be its king.

This is the first woe (v.12). Man has constructed a very dangerous weapon if used improperly. It is a danger to man, to society and to the environment. Mankind has allowed greed to control the automobile and its related institutions. Mankind has allowed the automobile and its related institutions to create monstrous social, economic, political and environmental problems.

One should note that all the other inventions and discoveries of mankind (radio, television, computer, telephone, printing press, camera, oil, ships, trains, airplanes, gunpowder, nuclear energy, etc.) are all symbolized in the automobile. All the inventions and discoveries of man have been misused by man. Man has allowed his greed to turn them into weapons of corruption, pollution, exploitation, destruction and war.

This is the great crime. Man’s greed has trampled underfoot all the gifts that were given to everyone by God. It is not the inventions and discoveries themselves that are producing the evil. Rather, it is man’s misuse of them that is corrupting and destroying the earth.

The automobile is the only invention that St. John saw and mentioned because it has the most world wide distribution and private ownership. There is virtually no facet of man’s culture that is not in some way influenced by the automobile. This is why St. John saw it as a locust stinging the earth.

One should note that many social, economic, political and environmental problems are caused by the improper use of all the inventions of mankind. Should man use them wisely and properly, then many of the problems of the world would slowly solve themselves.

For example, if televisions had more educational programming then many potentially gifted students could be discovered as television could be used as an aid in education. Instead many great minds are lost to situation comedies, crime dramas, serials, etc. Not that there is any thing wrong with this type of program, for it is good to have entertainment. But more educational programs are needed.

There is nothing stopping a television program from also teaching its audience about science, geometry, history, criminal or civil law and any other subject. But man’s greed has blinded him. Man canot see to how to properly use his inventions and discoveries.

All the inventions of man may be likened to a small child with many new toys. Without proper, intelligent use, these “toys” will only destroy man and the environment. Man has the necessary intelligence to bring truth and justice into society. Man’s great sin is that this has not been done.

Mankind has misused all the gifts given to everyone by our Lord by turning them into weapons of destruction, channels of hate and instruments of pollution, exploitation and war. Thus, the first woe has come to warn man that a point of no return is slowly approaching.

The sixth angel sounded his trumpet (v.13) with the rise of Adolph Hitler. A command is issued to release the four angels (real angels not children of God here on earth) who are bound by the river of war (v.14). These are the same four angels of the first verse of chapter seven. Their release symbolizes that a world wide chastisement of war will plague mankind (v.15). This chastisement includes both World War I and II because Adolf Hitler started his rise to power as a private in WWI and finished as a leader in WWII.

The twenty thousand times ten thousand figure that St. John is given (v.16) for the number of men fighting each other is representative of the immense size of the armies assembled for battle in this world war.

Then in verse seventeen, St. John describes the weapons of war that he sees: artillery, howitzers, flamethrowers, grenades, land mines, mortars, rifles, tanks and other types of armored vehicles and other weapons of war. In the following two verses (v.18-19) St. John gives a vivid description of shrapnel and cannon fire. He describes it as fire, smoke and brimstone that comes from the “mouths” of the weapons of war.

Only one third of mankind is killed in the war (v.15). Again symbolizing that only a small minority of the population realize that man is slowly approaching a point of no return.

One learns from the final two verses of the chapter that after the war ends our Lord sees that man has still not atoned for man’s inhumanity to man, that man has not stopped placing material possessions and money as superior to truth and justice (which is idolatry) and that man continues with all the destruction, pollution and exploitation of the earth.

Man has proven to our Lord that there will be no stopping of all the ungodly actions. In fact, man has given every indication of increasing them. Thus, it is time for God to come. It is time for our Lord to reveal His Revelation to the world and to send out His angels to prepare the way for the Second Coming.

One learns from the Holy Scriptures (4Ki.2:1-11; Mal.4:5; and Lk.1:13-17) that one of these children of God will come in the spirit of Elias. Then by comparing these verses with other verses in the Holy Scriptures (Gen.5:22-24; Sir.44:16; Heb.11:5; and Jude,14-15), one is able to perceive that another child of God will come in the spirit of Henoch.

This coming in the spirit means that they will bring the same message to the world that Elias and Henoch brought to their world when they were here. This is a message of peace and equality for all mankind.

But before revealing the two children of God who will come in the spirits of Elias and Henoch, our Lord, through the apostle St. John, wants to reveal a child of God who has a strong faith, hope, and love in God, for he is a strong angel. This child will come in the spirit of St. John to reveal our Lord’s Revelation to the world.

This means that both he and St. John will have the same desires and hopes for mankind, and both he and St. John will look upon all mankind as children of God. Thus, he will come in the spirit of St. John.

Alpha Omega

Blowing the Trumpets