Alpha Omega

The events that are described in chapter twelve reveal a mystery of God and explains why He created the universe, the earth, life and man. This chapter returns in time to the beginning of the first century A.D. This is because chapter eleven ends with the destruction of the world in a Nuclear War.

This woman is our Holy Virgin, Mother Mary. She is protected from sin by God, which is why St. John saw Her clothed with the sun. However, She does have Her own light, the moon upon which She stands. This is symbolic for Her position in heaven and Her sinlessness. The light upon which the Blessed Mother is standing is greater than all the stars, which represent the angels and saints, but it is less than the sun, which represents Her Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Her light is the second greatest light in the heavens!

One should note that just as the moon receives and reflects all its light from the sun, so also does Mother Mary receive and reflect all Her light from our Lord and that without Him She has no light.

One should also note that the description that St. John gives of Her is reminiscent of our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. The Blessed Mother, in a series of apparitions in Paris in 1830, asked that this medal be worn by all who believe in the Immaculate Conception. In 1854 Pope Pius IX (1846 - 1878), after consulting with the bishops and several theological committees, then defined the dogma of faith in the Immaculate Conception.

The doctrine holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of Original Sin in the first instant of Her Conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God. Since the Catholic Church is the instrument through which our Lord officially communicates with all His Children, one should therefore accept the Immaculate Conception — and everything else that the Mother Church teaches — as truth. The Catholic Church would not be teaching an article of faith if it were not the truth.

The crown of twelve stars upon the Virgin Mary’s head is both a post representation of the twelve patriarchs (Ruben, Simeon, Levi, Juda, Zabulon, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Aser, Nephtali, Benjamin and Joseph) and a prefiguration for the twelve apostles (Simon Peter, John, James, Andrew, Thomas Didymus, Philip, James the less, Bartholomew, Simon the zealot, Jude Thaddeus, Matthew, and Matthias).

Some people mistakenly believe that the woman described in the twelfth chapter is a figuration of the Holy Mother Church giving birth to Christianity to the world through the gospel. They obviously conclude their belief from the fact that the Catholic Church is the mother of Christianity and the world.

However, one must remember that our Lord gave birth to the Holy Church (Mt.16:18-19; 28:19-20; Act.2:1-47). It was not the other way around. The Mother Church feeds Christianity; She did not give birth to Christianity.

One must also remember that this chapter is revealing events of the past, events that happened before the formation of the Catholic Church. Besides, this chapter describes things and events about the woman that do not apply to the Mother Church. For example, verses five and six cannot apply to the Mother Church.

This man child can only be one person, Jesus Christ. He is a man at birth symbolizing that He is full of grace and truth at His birth. He is to rule all nations with the rod of truth, which is stronger and more durable than lies. He was taken up to the throne of God manifesting His presentation in the temple as a baby and the prophecy that Simeon made of Him while He was still a baby (Lk.2:22-35).

The woman’s flight into the wilderness is symbolic for Mother Mary’s departure into Egypt with Her Infant Son Jesus Christ and Her husband St. Joseph (Mt.2:13-18). The 1260 days are symbolic for the length of time that the Holy Family spent in Egypt. The Holy Family did this in order to escape the evil one’s persecution through King Herod.

The length of time of her sojourn in Egypt was predetermined by God for a set length of time, which is why it parallels the time period mentioned in Rev.11:3. During this time period King Herod sought to kill Her Infant Son. It was not until after King Herod died that they returned to Israel (Mt.2:19-21). Even then they did not return to Bethlehem but retired in Nazareth (Mt.2:22-23) in order to ensure the protection of the Child Jesus.

Many individuals deny the virgin birth of our Lord. They claim that such is biologically impossible. They believe that a Roman soldier, St. Joseph or some unknown person is the father of Jesus Christ. Many of these same individuals readily accept the possibility of “virgin births” in science fiction stories, yet they cannot believe in the virgin birth of our Lord.

One wonders if these individuals ever heard of parthenogensis, which is reproduction by development of an unfertilized gamete. It is known to occur in some species of shark, invertebrates, amphibians and reptiles.

One might remind those who deny the virgin birth that God created the laws of natural science that govern this world. He even gave life to the first living organisms. To ignore parthenogenesis is to totally disregard the great power and diversity of God. There is no law of natural science that would prevent God from entering the womb of the Virgin Mary and take on flesh in the person of Jesus Christ.

Thus, it is not impossible for Mother Mary to conceive and bear the eternally begotten Son of God while still a virgin. One must also remember that nothing is impossible with God (Lk.1:37; 18:27). Hence, there is no contradiction in the virgin birth of our Lord.

Many people do not ask the Mother of God to intercede for them because, in their words, they want to pray directly to God. Some even feel that a person is taking away from our Lord by giving devotion to the Virgin Mary.

It is good to pray directly to God. But if a person refuses to recite the rosary or any other devotion of the Blessed Mother, such a person is not doing the will of God. This is because our Lord wants all His children to be humble and contrite and it is an act of humility and contrition to recite the rosary.

When one asks Mother Mary to intercede to God in their behalf, one is acknowledging that one is not holy enough or worthy enough to approach our Lord. One is asking Mother Mary to “pray for us sinners.” Besides, any homage one pays to the Blessed Mother (or to the angels and saints) inevitably returns to Jesus Christ.

When one asks God’s heavenly family for intercession, it is the same as asking one’s own friends for intercession. God’s family are one’s friends. Jesus Christ notices this humility and rewards it with extra grace.

Finally, one must not forget that the only command that Mother Mary ever gave clearly manifests Her acknowledgment of Her Son’s superiority over Her.

One therefore has a very good reason to recite the rosary and to ask for the intercession of our Holy Virgin Mother Mary. Only a pseudo-Christian would draw a child of God away from the Blessed Mother of God and the rosary.

The great red dragon of verses three and four is Satan. One learns this when he compares these verses with verses seven, eight and nine.

The seven heads and the ten horns of the dragon are explained by St. John in the seventeenth chapter of his book and will be interpreted at the appropriate time.

The dragon stood before the Blessed Mother waiting to devour Her Son because he wishes to entice our Lord into committing sin. The seven diadems on Satan’s head represent the seven capital sins: pride, anger, lust, covetousness, gluttony, envy and sloth. These are the seven evils through which nearly all sin is committed.

The stars that the dragon’s tail draws down to earth represent the fallen angels who followed Lucifer when he rebelled against God. At God’s command, they were driven out of heaven by St. Michael the archangel. Hence, their place is not found in heaven any more. Satan is thus defined as “I was.”

Many do not believe this, claiming that no one would rebel against God once they got into His kingdom. But one must note that Jesus Christ also declared that Satan was cast out of heaven (Lk.10:18). He would not have testified so if it were not true.

Satan and his followers were thrown down to earth symbolizing that they have been given the opportunity to tempt man into sin. This verse does not mean that the evil one can force a child of God — against one’s own free will — to do his evil bidding. The devil cannot force anyone to do anything. A person does the will of Satan through their own personal choice. A person does the will of the devil through their own free will.

What this verse does mean is that the devil has been given the ability to try to entice or persuade one into sin. But Satan can never tempt one more than one can bear (1Cor.10:13).

It is important to note that these verses do not mean to insinuate that Lucifer sinned and rebelled against God at the time of our Lord’s birth on earth. Rather, he and his followers sinned and rebelled against God and were thrown out of heaven before the universe was ever created.

After they had sinned, our Lord knew that if He allowed them to remain in heaven they would eventually destroy paradise. Therefore in order to justify the condemnation of Lucifer and his followers, God created a world in which He could give the devil the opportunity to murder His eternally begotten Son and anyone who chose to follow Him. Thus, Satan is on trial and is judged guilty for killing God and God’s children.

This is not to imply that our Lord needs to justify His actions to mankind. He did this in His complete justice. This is because anybody who is accused of a crime — even the most wretched of criminals who has committed the most heinous of crimes — is entitled to a fair and impartial trial.

From the beginning unto the end, Lucifer is on trial, for this is why God created this world. Man is not the center of God’s creation. God and His absolute justice are the center of creation. Man was created in order to give God an instrument through which He could justify the condemnation of Lucifer. Thus, Satan was there to deceive Adam and his wife. He was there to crucify Jesus Christ. He is here today to try to tempt one into sin.

Satan also knows that some day this universe will end and that he has only a limited amount of time in which to deceive souls away from God. When his time is up, he will be locked in his dungeon for all eternity. Never again will he be allowed to tempt a soul away from God.

The children of God, using truth and justice, have prevailed over his lies and injustices (v.10-11). The Holy Spirit proclaims that it is the evil one’s own lies, thefts, murders and other sins that have accused him. Then in the twelfth verse the Holy Spirit tells all the angels and the saints to rejoice for they have overcome Satan and all his evil ways. But woe to those who have chosen evil rather than to defend truth and justice. They are to be given to the devil who will torment them eternally.

Life is a test and a challenge. Those who pass the test rise to life eternal and those who fail the test receive the second death. To have a test and give the answers is unjust, which is why life in this world is such a challenge and why God made this world in such a fashion that it is impossible to detect His existence directly.

One might therefore ask: Why does this trilogy give the answers to the test by proving the existence of God and the exclusive divinity of Jesus Christ. The answer is found in the fact that the test is now over and God, the Teacher, is giving His students the answers to the test questions through His servant.

Herein is the test. Each person has his own individual test. This test is to see who follows the Golden Rule (Mt.7:12) and believes in God and who does not obey the law and/or not believe in God.

But there is also a group test. Catholicism is the control group. All other religions (and churches) are the experimental groups. (Judaism was the control group before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.) The beliefs of Judaism and Catholicism were controlled or held in check by God, whereas there was no intervention in the beliefs of the other religions and churches. They were allowed to exist without intervention.

Prior to the Renaissance and the Age of Exploration, God kept the different religions separate with mountains, deserts, oceans and other such things. The purpose here was to manifest the extremes to which man would take his religious beliefs if Truth, Logic and Reason did not intervene to guide and direct him. Some religions, such as Zoroastrianism, came very close to finding Truth. Others, such as those religions that worship Satan, deviate far from Truth.

One learns from verse thirteen that the evil one has tried ever since the birth of Jesus Christ to denounce the Blessed Virgin and the truths taught about Her by the Catholic Church: Her rosary, Her Immaculate Conception, Her Assumption into heaven and Coronation as Queen of heaven and the other teachings about Her. Satan persecutes Her (v.13) and is angry with Her (v.17) because he knows that he has lost to God all those souls who, with faith in their hearts, turn to Her for intercession to our Lord.

The two wings of an eagle given to Mother Mary (v.14) represent the protection given to the truthful teachings of the Mother Church about Mary by all the saints. Her flight into the desert manifest the penance the saints did in Her honor. By these penances God rewards them with an inner faith in the truths about Her and they propagate these teachings to all who care to listen. Prayers and penance are a form of spiritual food for one’s soul. Thus, She is nourished by those who have offered up their prayers for Her intercession.

The river of water (v.15) represents the lies that the evil one, working through his pseudo-Christians, teach about the Virgin Mary in the vain hope that the children of God will follow after these false beliefs. But all Satan’s petty persecutions have been to no avail because the truth, represented by the earth (v.16), has swallowed up and done away with all heresies taught about Her.

Failing in his persecutions of the Mother of God, the devil has persecuted and oppressed the children of God; who are also Her children.

This verse does not mean to imply that the Virgin Mary gave birth to any other children while in this world. She remained a virgin all Her life and gave birth to only one child, Jesus Christ. These other children are all the faithful children of God who obey His law of love. They are persecuted by the evil one through his henchmen and pseudo-Christians.

Finally, verse eighteen holds another secret that our Lord wishes to reveal to the children of God.

The evil one is nothing but a liar and a distorter of the truth, which is death to him. He knows that God created man and he knows that the great antichrist will use lies and distorted truths in order to denounce our Lord and His Mother Church. Consequently, the dragon goes to the shore of the sea of lies to wait for his antichrist.

The great antichrist will come and denounce all religious truth with all his anti-religious beliefs. However, many of his other beliefs will be founded in truth. For example, he believes in the evolution of the universe, the earth, life and man. Hence, the great antichrist’s beliefs will be built upon partial truth. They will be built upon sand.

The mystery that our Lord reveals here is that the great antichrist will propagate religious heresy, while much of his other beliefs will be founded on truth.

Some bibles incorrectly place the eighteenth verse of this chapter as the first verse of the next chapter. In doing so, they combine it with what ought to be the first verse of the next chapter. They also change the wording and make it appear as though it is St. John who is standing upon the shore of the sea waiting for the antichrist.

This is absurd! The final verse of the twelfth chapter must read: “And he stood upon the sand of the sea.” Thus, indicating that it is Satan who is waiting for the coming of his great antichrist. While the first verse of the thirteenth chapter must read: “I saw a beast come up from the sea.” Thus, indicating that St. John is merely an observer of what the antichrist does, not a helper in his ungodly beliefs.

Inspired by the Holy Spirit even St. Jerome recognized that there was a difference in the two verses. When he translated the Latin Vulgate from the Greek, he wrote: Et stetit supra arenam maris for the last verse of chapter twelve and Et vidi de mari bestiam ascendentem for the first verse of chapter thirteen.

Again, it only becomes too clear that there must be one bible with one inspired translation. This translation and interpretation coming through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to one child of God or even several children of God working together (2Pet.1:21). It cannot come from some bureaucratic or money-making publishing house seeking to make a profit, for such is an uninspired bible.

One must believe that God is the Author of the bible, not man. The Holy Scriptures proclaim what He wants them to proclaim, not what man wants them to say. To believe otherwise is to believe that God did not — nor cannot — control the production of His own bible.

Just because a person does not understand the Holy Bible is no reason to rewrite it. Many people are studying the scriptures and questioning what they read. They believe that the scriptures contain myths, legends and fanciful stories. These individuals do not understand the power of God and His ability to maintain control of this world. To believe otherwise is to make man the author of the Holy Bible and believe that man controls this world.

While it is true that much of the Holy Scriptures contain stories that appear on the surface to be undependable and questionable, this is no reason to reject the Holy Bible as myth. One should accept the scriptures at face value and wait for God to reveal His message. If one does not understand what the scriptures proclaim then one should pray for guidance. One should wait for the Holy Spirit to give one the interpretation of those passages that appear on the surface to deny reason and logic.

St. Paul has also written in his letter to the Ephesians that there must be one belief and one teaching among the faithful followers of our Lord.

Thus, even if by some miracle the Roman Catholic Church and the non-Catholic Christian Churches would somehow acquire an understanding between themselves and obtain one teaching — which one has every reason to believe is the will of God — if there is more than one translation of the Holy Scriptures then Christianity will remain divided.

Alpha Omega

Clothed With the Sun