IS THE END NEAR? THE END OF THE WORLD ACCORDING TO SAINT VINCENT. "THE ANTICHRIST, FIRE AND GENERAL JUDGMENT".

[georgetrew4]

Summary by ChatGPT.

Here are the key points of the article by Saint Vincent Ferrer about the End of the World:
Three signs will precede the end of the world:
Signs in the Sun (representing Christ): The darkening of faith and the overshadowing of Christ by worldly things.
Signs in the Moon (representing the Church): The decline of the Church and the lack of miracles by true Christians.
Signs in the Stars (representing learned men): The failure of scholars to defend the faith.
The Antichrist will come to deceive the world: He will be a powerful and wealthy man who will perform false miracles and gain influence over world leaders.
The world will be destroyed by fire: This fire will come from God's justice and will burn everything on Earth.
The Last Judgement will take place: After the destruction of the world, Christ will come to judge the living and the dead. The good will go to heaven and the bad will go to hell.
The sermon is intended to warn people about the dangers of sin and to encourage them to live a Christian life.

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Sermon by Vincent Ferrer, called (Angel of the Apocalypse), born around 1350 in Valencia, died on April 5, 1419.
Saint Vincent was one of the greatest saints in the history of the Church, but his existence was forgotten.
He performed more miracles in one day than all the other saints in their lifetime.
The church has officially recognized 892 of his miracles as part of his canonization, but the total number is estimated in the hundreds of thousands.
Saint Vincent performed such extraordinary miracles, which have not been seen since the time of the Apostles.
For example, Saint Antoninus confirmed that twenty-eight people were raised from death by Saint Vincent.
In August 1415, near the town of Conflans, he fed 4,000 men, not counting women and children, with seven loaves and some fish.
Near Palma, Mallorca, Saint Vincent Ferrer held back a storm so he could preach from the waterfront.
The Beziers stopped the flood. He could cast out demons with a word or touch.
His power was so great that he passed it on to others. Often when people came to ask him for favors of this kind, he would turn to one of his companions and say, "I have performed enough miracles today and I am tired.
Do what they ask of me. The Lord who works through me will also work through me. by you".
Once, early in 1418, as he was entering the city of Vannes, the sick, the blind, the blind and the lame gathered on both sides of the road just before its gates.
Saint Vincent blessed them and they were all healed immediately.
He spoke to huge crowds in great squares without modern amplification, and yet he was clearly heard by all, even if the distance was more than a kilometer.
Saint Vincent Ferrer was truly the greatest miracle worker since the twelve apostles.
His miracles were so countless that it would undoubtedly take us several hours to describe each of them.


Let's listen to one of the Sermons, about the End of the World, which he preached during his journey around the world.Our sermon will be on today's Gospel, which consists entirely of the doctrine and instruction of
Jesus Christ Himself.In this gospel, He warns us of the great evil and tribulation that is about to come at the end of the world, and tells us about the signs that will precede His coming to judgment.This topic,
I think, will serve us. "There will be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars."By study of the Scriptures, and by actual experience, we know that when some great and grievous affliction is about to come
upon the world, often some warning sign appears in the sky.This is due to God's mercy, so that people warned of the impending tribulation by means of these signs, through prayer and good deeds, may obtain in the
Mercy Tribunal the reversal of the judgment passed on them by God - the judge in heavenly courts, or at least through penance and change of life prepare for the impending disaster.So, before some great death,
spectral battles are seen in the sky; before famine there are earthquakes; and before any land is laid waste, terrible signs are seen.We are told of the terrible signs shown to the Jews long before the destruction
of Jerusalem by Antiochus."And it came to pass that through all the city of Jerusalem, for forty days, horsemen were seen running through the air, in gilded garments, armed with spears like bands of soldiers.

 

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And horses lined up, running against one another, with crackling shields, and a multitude of helmeted men with drawn swords, and glittering armor of gold, and harnesses of all kinds."After that,
Antiochus plundered the temple and slaughtered the Jews.That is why we read in Exodus: "And he will multiply signs and wonders in the land of Egypt."Now, of all the tribulations, the three greatest and most
terrible are about to come upon mankind: first, the tribulation of the Antichrist, human but diabolical; secondly, the destruction of the earthly world by fire; third, the general court.And with these
tribulations will come the end of the world. Therefore, according to the principle of Divine Providence set forth above, before these three there will be warning signs in the sky, in the sun, and in the moon
and stars, as represented in our text.The first affliction to come to the world in a short time is the coming of the Antichrist, the diabolical man who will bring calamity to the whole world.There are four
clauses in my text where we are warned of the four ways in which the Antichrist will deceive Christians.The first clause is this: "There will be a sign in the sun."You must know that in the Scriptures Christ
is called the Sun, and this is because, according to the evidence of your own eyes, the sun is among the most beautiful of God's creations.In the same way, Christ is more beautiful than all the saints and
shines over them all with the brightness of glory, not only as God, but also as man.And as all stars receive their light from the sun, so all saints receive from Christ the brightness of glory, strength,
holiness, wisdom and understanding.





This is the reason why Christ is called the Sun, and under the same name "Sun" God the Father sent Him into the world, saying: "But to you who fear my name, the Sun of
righteousness will arise."This is not true of the natural sun. For the Church, in praise of the Virgin Mary, says: "Happy are you, O holy Virgin, and most worthy of all praise, for from you has sprung the Sun of
Justice, Christ our Lord."The first clause tells us that there will be signs in the sun in the time of the Antichrist; that is, there will be signs on Christ, and the exact sign is given by Saint Matthew when he says:
"The sun will not give its light."Such darkening does not happen with respect to the sun itself, because it is not in the nature of the sun to be darkened in itself.In the time of the Antichrist, the Sun of Justice will
be overshadowed by the position of worldly goods and riches that the Antichrist will bestow on the world, so that the clarity of faith in Jesus Christ and the splendor of the good life will no longer shine among Christians.For
temporal rulers, kings and princes, in order not to lose their dominion, will side with the Antichrist.Similarly, prelates, for fear of losing their dignity, monks and priests, in order to gain honors and riches, will abandon
the faith of Christ and cling to the Antichrist.He will be a real man, but so proud that he will not only want universal dominion over the whole world, but will even demand to be called a god and insist on receiving divine
worship.This we can deduce from the second letter of Saint Paul to the Thessalonians: "For unless rebellion comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is
called God or that is honored, so that he sits in temple of God as if he were a god."This will happen because the Antichrist, through the ministry of demons, will possess all the gold and silver of the earth and the seas,
and pearls and all the precious stones that are in the world.As we read in the book of Daniel: "And he will have power over the treasures of gold and silver and over all the precious stones of Egypt."With this wealth,
he will gather in armor all the nations of the world to fight against those who oppose him.As we read in the Apocalypse: "He will go and seduce the nations that are in the four corners of the earth, and gather
them together for battle, whose number is like the sand on the sea."Notice that he will seduce the nations, that is, with gold, silver and honors.Then the temporal lords and ecclesiastical prelates, for fear of
losing power or position, will be on his side, because there will be neither king nor prelate if he does not want it.For the same reason, it will also be upheld by religious, priests and laity.I am asked why God
allows this error among Christians, since He is God and the strongest cannot stand against Him?I respond with the dictates of theology taken from the Book of Wisdom: "With what a man sins, he is also tormented.
"How are the nations of the world sinning against God today? They sin to gain honors, dignities and riches.Therefore, through honors, riches and dignities, God allows the Antichrist to deceive them.Therefore,
if you do not want to be deceived, now with all your heart condemn and despise all earthly goods, and long for those of heaven, considering that the goods of this world are transitory and empty, while the
heavenly and heavenly goods are eternal.This way you will be strong. St. John gives this advice: "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world.If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.





And the world is passing away and its licentiousness. "The second clause is that there will be signs on the moon. You must understand that in the Scriptures the moon means our Holy Mother, the Universal Church,
which means the worldwide union of Christians; walls that make it up, but about that assembly of the faithful under one Head, which is really the Church.The Church is marked by the moon and its phases. The Church
goes through these phases. Thefull moon symbolizes the acceptance of the Gospel of Christ in every part of the world, in every kingdom and provinces.David says, "The sound of them spreads throughout the world,
and their words to the ends of the earth." Thewaning moon symbolizes the inability of men to keep what the Apostles had won.First, the Church was diminished by the loss of all India; second, , Assyria by one of
their tyrants; third, Africa by Muhammad; fourth, the Greeks under their emperor Constantine; fifth, the Armenians with their kings lem; sixth, Georgians with some pseudo-prophet; seventh, the bad example of
Christians led by a certain heresiarch.The old moon, because the corners are upside down, means that the church is no longer in the condition in which Christ founded it.Christ founded the Church in great lowliness
and poverty; now all this is turned into pride, splendor and vanity, which can easily be seen in every degree of the Church.Mercy turned into simony, usury and violence; purity became licentiousness, impurity and
corruption; the splendor of virtue turned to envy and malice; abstinence became gluttony and gluttony; patience gave way to anger, war and divisions between nations; diligence has been replaced by carelessness.
In the time of the Antichrist, the Church, symbolized by the moon, will be eclipsed; because then he will not give his light, because Christians will no longer perform miracles because of their holiness; but the
Antichrist and his followers will work miracles, not true miracles, but false, pretending to be true miracles, to deceive the people.As we read in the Apocalypse: "And he performed great signs, so that in the sight
of men fire came down from heaven to earth", that is, balls of fire, such as are in the power of the devil to send them, if God allows it and will not disturb him.You must know that the Antichrist will perform other
miracles by the power of demons, and they will be true miracles by the nature of things in themselves, but false as far as the definition of a miracle is concerned (ie by the power of God).It will cause both the
images and the month-old babies to talk.Antichrist followers will ask these images or babies and they will answer about the one who came in the end times claiming to be the savior.The devil will move their lips and
form the words they will utter when they proclaim that the Antichrist is the true savior of the world; and thus will cause the destruction of many souls.And the Church, symbolized by the moon, will perform no
miracles.Christ warned us about these false signs and wonders, saying, "False Christs and false prophets will arise."This means that the sons of Christians who have already shattered their faith due to the gifts
of the Antichrist will rise.As Saint Matthew says: "And they will show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect.Behold, I have told you before." Suppose someone asks, why does Christ
allow these works of destruction of Christendom by the devil?I answer according to the principle of Theology: "For what a man sins, he is tormented by the same."Because people in the world sin against God by
resorting to the works of the devil for their needs, such as divination and divination - for example, to find things they have lost, or to obtain health or ch
ildren, instead of submitting their needs to almighty

 

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God - therefore God allows that they may be deceived by the works of demons.If you don't want to be deceived, put all your faith and trust in the name of Jesus Christ and don't accept any miracle unless it's
done in the same name.The antichrist will take the name of Christ, but as many saints tell us, he runs away from the name of Jesus.Therefore, for this reason, the name of Jesus should receive the greatest respect
from all Christians.In addition, all the names of God, according to Saint Thomas Aquinas, should be worshiped seven times.Because God's name is great, he is to be feared; because it is sacred, it must be
worshiped; because it is sweet, it should be enjoyed in meditation; is strong to save; rich in mercy; effective in stimulating; and hidden to be discovered and known.The third clause says there will be signs
in the stars.In Scripture, "star" means "giving light"; and so it is the term for masters, doctors and licentiates in theology.This meaning is found in the book of Daniel: "And those who are taught will shine
as the brightness of the firmament, and those who teach many to righteousness as stars for all eternity."In these stars, or learned men, there will be signs in the time of the Antichrist; because, as the Gospel
of Saint Matthew says: "Stars will fall from heaven"; and this is the third fight led by the Antichrist.Then the stars, that is, the learned, will fall from the sky, that is, from the truth of the Catholic Faith
.The Antichrist's disputes with the scholars will be based entirely on the text of the Old Testament, and these doctors will not be able to answer him, they will not even be able to speak.Then the stars, the
masters, will fall from the sky, that is, from the heights of Faith.Because according to Daniel: "Antichrist, he will do everything according to his will, and he will raise and exalt everything against God,
and against the God of Gods he will say great things", i.e. the matter of his blasphemies will be insoluble as far as people are concerned.Why, you may ask, does Christ allow those who defend the faith to
fail so much?I answer that Christ allows it for two reasons: first, according to the principle of theology: "By which a man sins, by that same he is tormented"; and this is due to the fact that the masters
and teachers no longer care about the study of the Bible, but prefer to study the poets and other profane works.The second reason why Christ permits it is because of the scandalous and wicked life and the
many sins of the learned; for many of them, the greater their knowledge, the greater their sin and the worse their consciences.He who can bind a lioness can easily bind a sheep; if then the devil can chain
the minds of the learned because of their evil lives, how much easier it is for him to bind the sheep, that is, their tongues, so that they cannot speak.The ignorant are in a much better position because
knowledge is overwhelming, so if you want to be strong take the advice of the apostle Paul: "Let your faith rest not on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God."Reasoning and disputation are good for
strengthening the intellect, but not for strengthening faith, because faith must be held on the motive of obedience, because Christ Himself commanded us, preaching the Gospel preached by the Apostles and
ordained by Holy Mother Church.The fourth clause tells us: "And on earth the disturbance of nations because of the commotion of the roaring of the sea and the waves."These are the tortures that the Antichrist
will inflict, and the nations on earth will be disturbed by the commotion caused by the roaring of the sea and the waves.This is the preparation for the battle, the grinding of the arena before the fight,
which will be the work of the masters who are already on the side of the Antichrist; for then no one will dare, on pain of death, to name Christ or the Virgin Mary; and the waves are those torments that have
never been so terrible in the past as those that will be inflicted by the Antichrist.In the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Christ warns us: "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the
beginning of the world until now, nor will be.And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect, those days will be shortened.In the Apocalypse we read, "And when he comes, he must
remain a short time." The doctors say that the Antichrist will reign only for three and a half years; which is the measure of twelve hundred and ninety days; "and from the time when the perpetual sacrifice
is taken away and when the abomination of desolation is set up, it will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days" (Daniel).If I am asked why Christ allows Christians to be so terribly persecuted, I answer:


"With what a man sins, he is tormented."Because now, at this time, people offend God by wars, divisions and false flattery, by feuds and duels, therefore Christ allows them to be tormented by the Antichrist.
and destroyed, be now at peace and harmony with all, following the advice of the Apostle: "Be at peace with all men; take not revenge, for it is written: "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord."The
second evil or retribution will be the conflagration of the earthly world, of which the second part of this Sunday's Gospel speaks: "People are languishing for fear and anticipation of what is to come upon
the whole world; for the powers of heaven will be shaken."After the Antichrist is killed by lightning on the Mount of Olives and his death is widely known throughout the world, this land of ours will exist for
forty-five more days; I'm not talking years, but days.This is clearly seen in the book of Daniel: "And from the time that the continual sacrifice is taken away and the abomination of desolation is set up, there
will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.Blessed is he who waits and comes to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days."Doctors say that these forty-five days God will give for the conversion of
those who have been seduced by the Antichrist, but the Antichrist will leave behind such great riches and pleasures that few nations will convert to the Faith of Christ.For there is no savior but Christ, and yet
they will not be converted.Then in the four parts of the earth, east and west, north and south, fire will flare up, and as it advances, the whole world will be set ablaze one by one until nothing remains.Then,
when people are made aware of this noise and fire, and see the lightning bursting out of it, they will fall down in fear of the fire and expect eternal damnation.The apostle Paul, in the letter to the Hebrews,
says about this: "But a certain fearful expectation of judgment and the fury of fire will consume the adversaries.""For the powers of heaven will be shaken." This is to imply that this fire has no natural cause,
as some mistakenly imagine.This fire, however, comes from the rigor of Divine justice and works through the ministry of the angels, as it is said, "For the powers of heaven shall be shaken."This fire descends for purification.
Concerning this, David says, "Fire will go before him and burn his enemies all around.His lightning flashed in the world; the earth saw it and trembled.The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord;
at the presence of the Lord of all the earth."You understand that sinners are the enemies of Christ, but why is it said that "and will burn his enemies all around" when both good and bad will be destroyed by fire?The
good and friends of God will die in the fire, it is true, but they will die without pain and suffering, the evil and enemies of God will die in the greatest pain and torment.St. Thomas Aquinas says it beautifully


when he says that this last fire, if it precedes the Judgment, will act as an instrument of divine justice.It will also act like natural fire, because in its natural power it will burn both the bad and the good and
reduce every human body to ashes.Because it acts as an instrument of God's justice, it will act differently to different people.For the wicked will suffer much from the action of the fire, but the good, in whom there
is nothing to be purified, will not feel pain from the fire, just as the three children felt nothing in the fiery furnace, and it will be by divine power, that without pain and suffering their bodies would be dissolved
into dust.But the good ones, in whom there is some stain to be cleansed, will feel the pain of this fire, more or less according to the merits of each.But they will be cleansed quickly for three reasons.

 

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The first

reason is that there is little evil in them, because they have already been purified to a great extent by previous tribulations and persecutions.The second is that the living will voluntarily endure pain, and suffering

voluntarily endured in this life subsides much faster than suffering inflicted after death.This is seen in the case of the martyrs, for if, when it came to their death, anything worth purifying was found, it was

cut off with the knife of their sufferings.And the sufferings of the martyrs were short compared to the pains of purgatory.On this last day, how the temporal lords and prelates of the Church will desire to do

penance when they see the fire.But then such repentance will not help them, for they act not out of love, but out of servile fear.Therefore, do penance now, forgive injuries, return all illegitimate goods, live

and profess your religion, and let priests receive breviaries.If it was certain that this city would be destroyed by fire in a short time, wouldn't you exchange all your real estate for something you could take

with you?So it is with the world that is about to be destroyed by fire.Therefore, place your hearts in heaven, and let your lips speak of God with reverence, and do your works well.This is Christ's counsel,

"Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where rust and slime devour them, and thieves break in and steal."Notice the word "rust" which is Antichrist and "silt" which is fire, for these will devour

everything.The third will be the tribulation of the universal Judgment of which the third part of this Gospel speaks.Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and majesty.

"After the destruction of the world by fire, Christ the Lord Judge, with the Virgin Mary and all the saints, will come to judgment seated on a throne in the air.And the Archangel Michael will cry out with

a loud voice, saying: "Rise, you dead, and come to judgment."Then suddenly, by divine power, all the dead, both good and bad, will rise, the children will rise with the adults, and all will be gathered to

judgment.Even those who died in the womb they will be there, as Saint Thomas teaches, to accuse those whose fault they have died without Baptism.And the age when all will rise will be thirty years.Christ

Himself says concerning the General Judgment: "When the Son of Man comes in his majesty angels with him, then he will sit in the place of his majesty.And all the nations will be gathered before him, and he

will separate them as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left."As St. Anastasius says: "At his coming, all men must arise with

their bodies; and it will be given to each according to his deeds; those who have done good will enter eternal life, and those who have done evil will enter eternal fire.The sheep are good people and the

goats are bad people. Christ will say to the sheep at his right hand: inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.'To the goats on His left he will say:

'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.'The wicked will go to eternal punishment, the righteous to eternal life.

But as for the rest, no one will dwell in this world, because those things that are transitory and finite have passed away in their finite state, the movement has passed away.

Therefore theChurch, in the person of every Christian, makes the request in the office for the dead: "Save me, Lord, from eternal death, on that dreadful day when heaven and

earth are moved,

when
you come to judge the world by fire."