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Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

Miriam’s Sins (9)

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Book II: Chapter 9
July 4

Although it was July 4th for me in real time, I continued watching a vision of of Miriam from the prior week – I’d just witnessed her leave Ma’bus’ servant Iffat to fall in a heap, as she now raced to the dictator’s torture chambers.

The hallway was empty when she arrived – and ominous — this was not a place that anyone would want to intrude into. Nonetheless, Miriam read the scripts plated on each door: Luxuria, Gula, Avaritia, Acedia, Ira, Invidia, and Superbia.

“The Seven Deadly Sins,” she said grimly. “Do not be far from me, Lord, for trouble is near and there is no one to help.”

Brushing aside her fears, she began to <probe> into the rooms…

(As you’ll soon see, this was an odd vision because not only was I looking in on Miriam’s physical body, but I actually felt like my own mind was transported into the rooms too!)

As soon as OUR minds <moved> into the room, I could tell that Miriam found more than she bargained for because a surprising <force> surged back against our psyches and Miriam’s physical body was violently thrown backwards in the hallway outside!

Although I was fine (and actually somewhat amused by the whole thing), it took Miriam a few moments to recover from her daze. This time she was more cautious as she moved back towards the first door – merely peeking her mind inside verses rushing in like before.

The forces were still there to confront us, but this time, Miriam (and I) were prepared for their mental onslaught. Steeling herself against their illusory blows, Miriam began to search through the room. Yet once again, she apparently underestimated the force she was contending with — for even though a vision of burning flames did not affect her, I could tell that Miriam was appalled by what she saw — a scene of total debauchery.

Lust by Neeta Patel

The room was filled images of with every kind of sexual deviance known to man: adultery, bestiality, rape, incest, and further transgressions worse than these — for this was Luxuria, and it held the Chair of Lust!  

<Ugh!> Miriam pulled her mind (and mind) back from the horrible visions and left the room.

Once again she took some time to gather herself.

“I must go back in,” Miriam said breathlessly, sucking hard at the limited air afforded by her face mask. “If Alan is there, I have to find him.” And looking up to heaven, she prayed, “Be not far off, O Lord. You are my strength!”

Cautiously Miriam pushed her mind back into the obscene room.

Visions of sexual immorality assaulted her…overwhelmed her… beckoned to her. She did her best to try to stay above the fray, searching for Alan within this madness, yet the longer she allowed her mind to remain inside Luxuria, the more that Miriam found herself being pulled towards the obsessive transgressions.

(As for me, I didn’t even try to resist. What will be, will be. And as an old man who hasn’t known a woman for what seems like centuries, well…)

Slowly, more and more of the people committing these terrible acts became aware of Miriam’s presence. They called to her, inviting her to join them, showing her the satisfaction that could be obtained by participating in this excessive love of each other.

Miriam resisted.

She kept searching for Alan, but more of the participants called her to join them — to submit to them, to forget about the future and enjoy the PLEASURE OF NOW.

Miriam continued to resist.

Yet, the scene grew more intense.

The acts more obscene.

The flames stronger and hotter.

Soon, Miriam felt herself being pulled in by the lechers. Her inhibitions were clearly weakening…

(By now, even I was getting a bit appalled at what was going on, and yet…)

<NO!> Miriam pulled her mind out of Luxuria. “Alan is not in there!” She hissed – HOPING that she was correct – and retreating away from this awful hallway.

I watched her run from the corridor and jump into the first lonely room she could find – she obviously needed time to gather herself and I knew that it would not be easy.

Nearly an hour later, after many tears and prayers, Miriam emerged from hiding and cautiously made her way back towards The Hallway of Woe — seemingly resigned to her fate.

By now, it was clear that each room, each Chair, would attempt to overwhelm Miriam with its Sin.

Understanding that she could not win this battle alone, I was not surprised to see her call upon her God, hoping that He could help her resist Temptation and thus find Alan, “But as for me, I will always have hope – I will praise Him more and more!”

Miriam then looked up at the next room – Gula — The Sin of Gluttony.

The Chair in Gula confronted us with conflicting images. We saw sins committed by those who had an excessive desire for food and by those who were purposefully withholding food from others.  We saw people eating too much. Eating too passionately. Eating everything – even THEMSELVES!

Despite her repulsion, I sensed Miriam realize that she herself hadn’t had anything to eat in over a day – and I felt her hunger gnaw at her. She started talking to herself about her next meal, then craving for some of the delicacies that she saw at the breakfast where Alan and Ma’bus dined, then desiring to fill herself with excessively costly foods, then hungering for the blood of animals, then salivating for the taboo…

(By now I was thirsting for some Jack – straight up. Please!! Very quickly I felt as if I was about to rip at my throat in an effort to overcome an unquenchable thirst)…

“Enough!” Again Miriam pulled us back. “Alan is not there.”

Having successfully resisted Gula’s temptations, Miriam took no time probing her mind into the third room.

We searched Avaritia – the Room of Covetousness. Once more a Chair confronted us with a sin against God. Here we saw the floor covered with mud, and more than a few people joyfully groveling in the dirt – totally fixated on earthly thoughts.

Elsewhere we witnessed scenes of disloyalty, deliberate betrayal, or treason – all which resulted in some form of quick, personal gain for the sinner. Looters, scavengers, hoarders – these too were out in force. Violent men took what they want. Others manipulated the weak to steal from them.

And everyone everywhere was overcome with GREED!

Once again, Miriam (and I) felt ourselves being enticed, but as soon as she confirmed that Alan was not inside, Miriam left this room and thus we were no worse for wear.

After that little victory, I could sense that Miriam’s confidence was growing.  However, she underestimated the power of “Slothfulness” and this would turn out to be a major mistake.

For it was the deadly sin Acedia that nearly did us in…

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10 – The Trap is Sprung!
Book II Table of Contents
Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

2.8 Day of Doom

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Book II: Chapter 8
July 4

It was over a week before I finally found out what happened to Alan. During that time, I tried to drink myself into oblivion.

It didn’t work.

You still don’t understand, do you?

Who has woe? Who has sorrow?

Let me tell you — those who linger over their drink – watching it sparkle and rejoicing when it goes down smoothly. But, in the end, it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper. For my eyes ever see strange sights and my mind imagines confusing things. “They hit me!” I cry. And in the next breath, “But I’m not hurt? They beat me! But, I don’t feel it?” And when I wake, all I can think about is…”so when can I find another drink?”

Proverbs 23: 29-35

Yes, I have an addiction, but I happen to like it.

I was so damn drunk this past week, even if I did get a vision, it didn’t register – and that was alright by me.

But then I ran out of liquor, and being too lazy to put on a mask and activate one of my burners to use my E-Yuans in order to go to the liquor store, I found myself languishing in bed with a terrible headache.

Just as I began to get sober – naturally that’s when He snuck another vision on me…

I found myself looking in on a small flat – Alan was comatose in a bed and Miriam (masked, gowned, and gloved) was sitting beside him, “God is our refuge, Alan. Fear not – though the Earth give way and the mountains fall into the sea, we will trust in the Lord.”

Meanwhile, my attention was drawn to a small TV in the corner of the room – a German anchorman was struggling to deliver the news…

“None will ever forget June 26 – The Day of Climate Doom. It’s what our Climate Czar’s have been warning us about for years – and it’s finally happened! Current death tolls are simply beyond imagination. Japan is gone – engulfed by a massive typhoon; 130 million dead. The same monster waves also ravaged China’s coast, killing perhaps half a billion more.”

After a heavy sigh, the reporter continued, “Elsewhere, scientists have advised that a fissure caused Antarctica to break apart — sending nearly a quarter of that icy mass out into the southern seas, swelling the oceans. Flood waters have since ravaged South Africa, Australia, and South America. Little communication is possible at this time and uncounted tens of millions are suspected dead.” Another pause. “Today is the traditional Independence Day for The United States, yet that country has its own laments from the 26th. U.S. scientists are advising that the earth’s crusts shifted beneath the westernmost part of their continent, causing a giant sinkhole to open in the sea floor which appears to have swallowed the province of California. 40 million presumed dead. With their Congress and Executive branches in tatters, former President Barack Obama has taken over again and declared Martial Law to protect the country. ”

Now do you see why I was drinking so much? These are not the kind of chipper tidbits I like to hear – especially because, ever since that day, all sporting events had been cancelled!

And worst of all, on June 26, MY Phillies were playing a series against the Giants – the SAN FRANCISCO Giants!

Or should I say the San Andreas Fault Giants?

Ugh, now they’re gone too. Damn you, Bill Bates and your Climate tinkering!

Just then the newsman put down his papers and looking directly into the camera; with wild eyes he said, “This can only mean one thing: the end of the world is nigh! Prepare your souls f–—“

But the screen went black and was quickly replaced by a message in German which read, We are experiencing technical difficulties. Please bear with us.

(Ha, that old fool doesn’t know how right he is).

At this point, I guess Miriam had seen enough for she used the remote to turn off the TV. (Goodie for her – so she knows how to use a remote. Gee, she might as well be a monkey collecting coins on the streets of old New York).  Once more she looked down at Alan, lying motionless in his bed, “My soul finds rest in God alone,” After fiddling with her mask, she whispered. “He is our rock — we will never be shaken.”

Of a sudden, I got a momentary pain in my head (whether this was due to my hangover or the prophecy I couldn’t say) and as the haze cleared, I found myself presented with an array of new sights:  I was still watching Miriam, but apparently my vision had shifted back in time — for once more she dressed in black leathers, masked in a high-tech Nano Mask, and most importantly was hiding in Bill Bates new Baghdad palace’s courtyard… within the horrific statue of The Beast!

In my vision, it was now early morning and it looked as if Miriam was on the verge of abandoning her hiding spot, when of a sudden the curtains of the dictator’s parlors opened – to reveal Alan at breakfast with Dr. Ma’bus.

(Hmm, this must have been that meeting we saw – back on… June 25th? Gee, sometimes it’s pretty cool to see how these visions all fit together, huh?)

Surely Miriam must have been able to see Alan at the table, because the open windows afforded her a great view. Yet for the time being she didn’t move from her hiding spot.

We watched them dine.

Then we saw Alan’s distress over something that Ma’bus showed him on his laptop.

Then we witnessed Alan’s rejection of the tyrant’s offer of friendship.

All of this a bit of took time but even still it must have all seemed good from Miriam’s vantage point – after all, at least Alan was still alive.

However, I watched her concern grow when a beautiful young woman entered the room. There was no doubt in my mind that Miriam would view Mystery as an evil temptress – especially because the latter didn’t hide her beauty with a face mask like Miriam.

I think Miriam fully expected Alan to be put off by Mystery; however when it became clear that Alan actually recognized Mystery, and worse yet that Alan later went away with her, suddenly I saw Miriam’s confidence drain – for I knew that she wondered how any sane man could be willingly led away by such an obviously wayward woman.

(Even I had to admit from this vantage point that Alan looked like a lamb to going to the slaughter).

Even though she was wearing a mask, I could tell Miriam flinched – clearly she wanted to get inside the palace and rescue Alan, however in the bright light of day, with guards all around, and with Dr. Ma’bus still situated within view in his parlor, it was obvious she was unable move.

And so we waited.

It wasn’t until later that evening before Miriam could actually make her way inside the palace – and even then she wasn’t able to enter Ma’bus’ private section, but instead had to sneak her way inside one of the side areas that were a less guarded. Once inside, I watched her begin a systematic search of the palace, trying to find a way to relocate Alan.

It was a slow process – after all, even with her mental gifts, Miriam didn’t know where to look, and she still had to hide from countless guards – all while trying to fly under the radar of Ma’bus’ intricate security systems.  Furthermore, even though I knew that Miriam had communicated in the past with Alan using her telepathic gifts, right now she had no idea where to project her mind to and thus couldn’t locate him with this technique either.

As the hours passed, Miriam grew desperate – I wouldn’t be surprised if she was thinking about what that woman might be doing to corrupt Alan…

In her panic, Miriam began to use her Psychic Probe with more regularity – frantically questing for knowledge about Alan. Soon enough she resorted to outright violence as well.

Apparently these techniques worked because it seemed Miriam finally got some useful intelligence — after a brush up with more of the household personnel, she suddenly made straight for Alan’s cell room.

Unfortunately when she got there, the cell was empty.

An hour later Miriam found another helpful mind — gaining whispers of Ma’bus’ dungeon-like laboratories – yet when she searched there she discovered that none of them held Alan. (Luckily for Dr. Flipflop, he wasn’t to be found either).

Interestingly enough, I noted when Miriam realized that some of the cages inside the Life Labs were occupied, she did NOT take the time to help those prisoners – instead leaving those forsaken souls to God’s will, while she continued her search for Alan?

Well, nobody’s perfect.

Further probes garnered her more insights, yet all led to additional dead ends. Apparently no one seemed to know where Alan was now. And none could give any insights into the woman of mystery that had Miriam so concerned.

The 26th soon passed and as the afternoon of the 27th approached, Miriam’s haste increased and she began to use her Probe with such brutality that whoever she encountered was left in pretty bad shape (I heard later that the palace physicians were forced to deal with a number of inexplicable stroke cases that day).

And still she carried on.

Finally, while traversing one of the sub-levels again, Miriam came across a nondescript masked servant shuffling along with his head down. Given that the man was so lethargic, I thought Miriam might let him pass so she wouldn’t have to waste any time, but as he loped past her hiding spot, apparently she caught a <whisper> from the man’s mind.

Immediately then, Miriam surged inside his brain – ransacking through his mental fibers to find out if he knew where Alan was. As it turned out, he did!

Miriam discovered that the servant’s name was Iffat and he was one of Ma’bus’ personal attendants. But more importantly, Miriam learned that Iffat had earlier in the day escorted Alan, Dr. Flipflop, and Dr. Ma’bus to a hidden corner of the underground complex, to a hallway that ended in seven doorways…

To a place which held The Chairs of Woe.

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9 – Miriam’s Sins
Book II Table of Contents
Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

2.6 The Seventh Seal

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Book II: Chapter 6
June 24

A couple hours passed, yet nothing changed for me. I was still sitting on my couch, only now I was getting ready to watch my Phillies play.

How could I watch baseball at a time like this?

Hey, if the end of the world really was coming, then I wanted to be like my friend Frankie and enjoy myself for as long as I could. After all, God destroys both the blameless and the wicked so why should I struggle in vain?

“Thanks for staying with us.” Phillies Broadcaster Tom McCarthy said from my new TV – a gift from a local charity. “We have a doozy. 5 to 2, Giants lead in the bottom of the seventh. Bases loaded, two outs, and Carlos Santana is coming up to the plate. What’s your take, John?”

“The Giants had to change their pitcher. Bumgarner was on the verge of falling apart. Let’s see what Miller can do with the mess he just inherited.” McCarthy’s partner John Kruk (one of my all-time favorite players) jumped in with his color analysis. As usual both men were doing their broadcasting virtually since in-person announcing of sporting events had long been outlawed as being (a health hazard, racist, anti-climate, or take your pick of any other number of Woke excuses).

“And…here’s the pitch from Miller… Strike one!”

I sank deeper into my Laz-E-Boy – with my Phillies losing, the game was not to my liking — naturally I blamed the broadcasters. Oh sure, McCarthy and Krukie were good, but for my money I still prefer Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn.

Ashburn & Kalas were the perfect pair

Nonetheless, I couldn’t curse like I wanted to because over on the sofa sat one of my “friends” – Craig Wozniak. Craig was a 22-year old snot-nosed student at Lycoming College; apparently visiting me was somehow part of his internship. Like other college students of his day, he’d been brainwashed throughout his schooling with all the socialist propaganda of the times – that meant Craig totally believed in the evils of Capitalism, the dangers of Climate Change, the infallibility of Dr. Flipflop’s never-ending pandemic fear-mongering, the rightness of Wokeness and Cancel-culture, the benefits of UBI and never-ending stimulus checks without working, and similar UN Agenda 2030 garbage. Despite being a Caucasian, Craig wore a t-shirt that read “I’m sorry” – a common rag worn by the white kids of the day who’d been hammered into apologizing for their White Privilege disease – although he’d learned better than to talk to me about the why I should be supporting BLM and Antifa causes, because I’d kick him out of my house multiple times in the past for trying to peddle anything related to that garbage in the past.

Of course it goes without saying that Craig had been vaxxed and chipped early on in the Covid-era and he was completely bought-in to the importance of keeping his social credit standing as high as possible so he could keep spending with his Identichip.

Craig was also outfitted with more personal protection equipment than a surgeon facing an Ebola outbreak – he wore medical scrubs, gloves, booties, a Nano Mask and a face shield. Talk about overkill – we didn’t even treat the lepers from Christ’s time with such precaution and leprosy was a hell of a lot more dangerous (read: REAL) than Covid ever was. But such was the power of #FakeNews and #FlipflopLies at the time – they had the public scared to death of ‘double-mutant variants’ of their made-up virus, and the college kids like Craig were the most psychotic of all about the Covid Religion.

You might be wondering why I even allowed Craig into my house?

I’d asked myself that in the past too. The answer I came up with is because I felt sorry for him – like most of the youth of his day he never had a chance to create his own beliefs – Big Brother happily did that for him.

Then again, I didn’t have much choice either – I could never quite recall how I got roped in to the college’s Elderly Outreach Program, but whenever I tried to talk to someone about removing my name from their lists, I was gently reminded that all citizens were required to build their social credit. Since mine were always dangerously low, unless I wanted to have to undergo more ‘re-education’ about living in a ‘sustainable society’, I had to give up my demands for privacy and thus occasionally allow do-gooders like Craig the opportunity to come by.  

On his last visit, Craig found out that my old TV was kaput — he didn’t ever learn the real story behind what happened, but even still I think he was surprised to see the TV kick the bucket before I did!

More importantly, on his visit today he brought me a new 42” HDTV from the college’s charity and even set it up for me. (I guess these new Gen Z kids are good for something after all, neh? Although I made a mental note to myself to take the thing apart and remove the 5G tracker that was sure to be inside).

“So what do you think about your new monitor, Mr. John?” Craig admired the gift. “Want me to show you how to use the remote?”

I merely grunted.

Craig used his gloved hand to wave at the device again. “Look here, sir – now you don’t have to get up to change the channel any more. Now all you have to do is click, like this.”

“Don’t change that dial, boy!”

“Oh, sorry. So, do you think our Phillies will pull it out, Mr. John?”

“Don’t know.”

“Who’s your favorite player?”

“The one batting now.”

“You like Santana too?” Craig smiled – although I couldn’t see it because of his mask – yet I could tell he thought he was finally making a connection with me. “Yeah, he’s always been mine t–“

“No.” I interrupted. “I like WHOEVER is at bat for the Phillies because that means we still have a chance to win.”

“Oh. I see.” Craig lowered his head and tried to peek at his watch without me seeing. I knew he was pained with boredom, but then again so was I!

“Swung on…it’s a high fly ball… the Phillies might take the lead right here!” McCarthy shouted from the TV. “Back…back…BA—“

<BUZZ! BRRR!> The screen was mess of blurry lines.

“NOOOOO!” I shook my fist at the interruption.

“What’s going on?” Craig wondered as the TV refocused and we looked upon a new scene – The Phillies game replaced with a view from above a dark cave within which two men were laying in squalid conditions.

The Two Witnesses

“Gol’darnit, not another special broadcast.” (At the moment, I was so upset I didn’t really notice what was being shown).

“I don’t know, John. It looks like too strange for a news report. Those guys look like prisoners in some crazy medieval dungeon – it’s creepy.”

Looking again at the TV, I recognized the Two Witnesses and realized they were about to deliver a new prophecy – yet this only annoyed me all the more because it surely meant I’d miss more of my game.

Unfortunately there was nothing I could do but sit and watch like the rest of the schmucks around the world.

The prophets’ cell looked cold and brutal, with dirty hay strewn about the floor, and a hole in the corner for their toilet. Still dressed in those filthy burlap rags, Elijah and Enoch now had sores which blanketed their bodies. Heavy wrinkles notched their unshaven faces, and their oily hair stuck in ratted mats to their heads.

Yet it was their eyes – or rather their empty sockets — that captured your attention and made it impossible to look away. Even I was taken aback – for the more I stared, the more I felt myself being pulled into the black caverns in their faces, as if they were the passage to a forsaken afterlife.

It gave me a case of the Jimmies and sent Craig into a panic attack.

“Are they… dead?” Craig managed to eke out because gasps through his mask.

“How should I know?” I lied to brush him off.

Suddenly I saw Enoch rise up — swaying on his feet, he gurgled a bit before proclaiming, “Sixth Seals we had spoken of, yet another is to come.”

The second man now sat up, “And it too shall be broken.”

Just like that, both fell back to the ground in apparent exhaustion.

Craig fell back in the sofa, “What do you make of that, Mr. John?”

I didn’t reply — for I knew there was more to come. Peering through tightened eyelids, I grew angrier by the second…waiting for the inevitable.

“144,000 will escape.” Elijah murmured, as if half-asleep.

“Their names in the Book of Life.” Enoch replied.

“Their robes will be washed white with the blood of The Lamb.”

“ARRRG!” Both prophets cried in unison, covering their ears in a futile effort to ward off the BOOMING of great trumpets – blasts which not only pummeled them, but us as well. The rush of sound so loud I wouldn’t doubt if the world over shook from the thunder!

“DISASTER!”  Enoch wailed.

“WOE!” Shouted Elijah.

“The Seventh Seal…”  I whispered, as the seers cried it to the world.

Again the trumpets, louder than before – and I felt as if the foundation of the world shook.

The TV went dead even as Craig and I tried to steady ourselves.

“WHOA! What was that?” Craig screamed. “I’m sorry, Mr. John, but I gotta get out of here! I’ve gotta see if my family is OK!”

And I watched as he raced out – not giving a second thought to the elderly man he was supposed to be caring for.

In reality, I didn’t care that Craig had deserted me, instead I merely glowered in my chair, incensed with anger.

“Oh, God, what have I done that You oppress me like this? Why do you always spurn the work of my hands? Please kill me now and get it over with.”

(Obviously I didn’t get my wish).  

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Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

2.4 Crime and Punishment

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Book II: Chapter 4
June 24

“I trust you know what you’re witnessing?” The man Bill Bates who was now calling himself Dr. Ma’bus asked.

Alan gasped, looking at the screen. “How is this possible? But how did you subdue… THEM?”

“Details. Details. Does it really matter?” The tech-czar turned dictator waved off the question. “The point is that I have all seven of the angels — The FALLEN angels. And when the appointed time comes, they will be released, along with their Plagues – giving me the power to overcome your master!”

(Friends, even though I wrote about this in Revelation 16, I didn’t really think it would come true. Ma’bus has The Seven! Do you understand the significance? Ach, for your sake, I hope that you don’t – it’s too terrifying!)

Meanwhile, Alan continued looking at the screen, captivated in horror, “Oh, look at how you have them shackled. And why did you tear off their wings – can’t you see their wounds are still festering?”

The would-be Antichrist admired the sight, while Alan turned away at last to keep from retching.

It was a gruesome view – each webcam showed one of seven angels held in a dank cell so small that the captives were forced to remain upright in claustrophobic torture; their heads were bound back so that their faces were forced to look continuously in the direction of the hidden webcams above them. Worse yet, a fiery steam repeatedly wafted up, adding to their misery.

“Their conditions are terrible!” Alan complained. “Why all that smoke?”

“Why it’s the Wrath of God — your god.” Dr. Ma’bus casually replied, the wistfully sighing, “Ah, if only Tony and I could have made Covid so effective.”

Seeing Alan turn green, The Beast added. “Surely you know your Bible. Each Angel from Revelation possesses a Golden Bowl and each bowl contains one wrath. I figured out a way to take their bowls and set them the bottom of their cells and now their wraths smoke upward – forcing the Angels to endure the punishment of their god. It’s genius, if I don’t say so myself.”

(I’m speechless — even I didn’t think someone could be so cruel).

“I don’t understand – you believe these angels are going to help you? Don’t be such a fool, Bates — why would they ever want to help you? The Angels must hate you!”

“On the contrary,” The technocrat boasted. “They love me – just like the rest of the world”

“That’s absurd.”

“It’s true. Oh at first, none of the angels were pleased about being captured. Just like nobody on the planet was thrilled about the Covid Lockdowns – but then “2 Weeks to Flatten the Curve” turned into two months and the two years and now who the hell even knows how long anymore and viola – the people accept their fate and love their captors. It’s the same thing for these angels – they didn’t like their cells at first, but in time, after I repeatedly worked with them, each of them began to understand that I was the ONLY one who could save them. Now they view me as their Savior, their Big Brother, if you will. They worship me. They live only to please me. And when the time comes, they WILL do my bidding.”

(Lord, please don’t let him be correct on that).

“You’re mad.” Alan turned away from the awful vision.  

“Who can say for sure? But that’s beside the point. Instead, let me ask you again — as I have now every day since you came here — will you help me obtain the Nails of your friends?”

“And I will answer as I have every time you have asked that question,” Alan replied acidly. “I’ll never tell you where they are.”

“Why do you resist me? Do you really think I need you to tell me that information? Surely you must realize I’m just testing you?”

Alan didn’t reply – seemingly unsure if his captor was teasing him.

“I see value in you, man!” The nerdy sociopath averred. “You still have a chance to save yourself. Jesus of Nazareth is NOT coming back. He’s dead. I tell you the truth.” And here Bates stood up and formally stretched out his hand to Alan, “JOIN ME, Lazarus, and find out what’s it’s like to LIVE!”

Alan slapped his captors hand away. “Never! I’ll never join you. Even if Jesus isn’t coming back, I would rather die than join you.”

“So be it.” Dr. Ma’bus sighed and sat down.

Alan remained standing in awkward silence, while Bates as Ma’bus merely smiled as he continued watching the Angels in constant agony on his computer screen.

After a time, and without looking up, The Beast remarked, “Don’t you think I know how to press your buttons? I know your weaknesses too, boy.”

As if on cue, the door opened and a beautiful woman sauntered in.

(I think you can guess who, right?)

This time the seductress was wearing purple and scarlet and fine jewels graced her neck, yet her long, black hair covered her face so that Alan couldn’t see her features as she walked over towards Bates and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  

It was clear that Alan was in no mood to admire beauty and thus didn’t really pay much attention when first she passed him by, but then the woman turned to face him and said in a honey-laden voice, “I missed you in Rome, Alan.”

“Teri? What are you do-“ Alan was confused. (Uh oh, he still doesn’t get it, does he?)

“Mystery.” Bates interrupted, putting an end to the suspense.

Teri shrugged at the revelation and then leaned forward to give Alan a kiss.

“Get behind me, Satan!” Alan backed away in revulsion now the he knew the truth about his former companion. “Mystery? Why, YOU are the great prostitute! The mother of all abominations.”

(And so it all begins to fit together. Still confused? Well, you know what I’ll say… go to Revelation, Chapter 17 and read for yourself).

At that both Bates and the woman laughed. Finally she replied, “Call me what you will, Alan. Yes, my true name is Mystery. Yet you seemed pretty happy with me the last time we were together…”

Alan blushed, “I corrected my error before my sin became too great!”

“Ah, your sin, is that what you’re calling me?” Mystery giggled. “Well, that’s why I’m here now, you see.”

“What do you mean?” Alan said guardedly. “What have you done with Benedict?”

“You know what I mean. And don’t worry about Benedict – he’s fine. And he says ‘hello.’ But trouble yourself not about that. Instead look at me. Don’t you see, I’m here to finish what we started – while you still have your strength.”

“Wha-?” Alan stopped.

“I think what she means,” Dr. Ma’bus said helpfully, “is that Mystery plans to sleep with you to complete your sin…before I kill you.”

“Something like that.” Mystery agreed, caressing Alan’s cheek, even as he was unable to resist this new assault on his soul.

(God save him!)

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5 – Friends in Low Places
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2.3 The Feast

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Book II: Chapter 3
June 24

Time passed and my Sight shifted.

I saw a room filled with ornate decorations from the world over. A succulent feast was arrayed atop a massive dining table and with Bill Bates himself was seated at the head of the board. Despite the multitude of chairs, only one other seat was filled – by Alan. Neither of them wore face masks – although I guess you could argue that the giant table was their social distancing tool.

(Since Bates was now calling himself Dr. Ghaz ‘al Ridwan Ma’bus and I’m tired of writing all his double names, I’m gonna just call him some version of Ma’bus for awhile).

“Soon enough you will be taken back to Room 101,” the man calling himself Dr. Ma’bus told his guest. “There you and I will finally learn to cooperate with one another. But first I have a few more things I’d like to show you – to give you a chance to reconsider your position.”

Alan did not reply, but instead reached forward towards the middle of the table and began to help himself to some of the delicacies.

Ma’bus raised an eyebrow, “Serving oneself before the Master is not polite.”

“I assume you’ll teach me a lesson,” Alan quipped, mouth full.

Ma’bus muttered something, but I couldn’t make it out; meanwhile a lone servant entered the room – he was masked and gloved and he proceeded to make a plate for the dictator.

The pair ate mostly in silence, with Ma’bus occasionally making a comment about world events or boasting about how all the food was a GMO man-made improvement over its natural counterpart. Alan never responded to any of Dr. Ma’bus points.

For my part I couldn’t help but remember a proverb that seemed to fit the situation…

Better a meal of vegetables where there is love, than a fattened calf with hatred.

Proverbs 15:17

Why do I remember so many proverbs, you ask?

Well, outside of my own writing, the Book of Proverbs and Psalms were always my favorites in The Bible. If you are looking to get some Wisdom – and who isn’t? – take a gander at these sections. It’s like reading a self-improvement book — Good stuff!

Now where were we?

Oh yes – Alan and Ma’bus.

Paying attention again, I saw Dr. Ma’bus sit back, “Ah, let’s enjoy the sunrise, shall we?” And he called to his attendant, “Jamir.”

The wall opposite Alan was covered by a giant purple curtain; pulling the cords, the masked Jamir parted the fabric to reveal a large, pavered courtyard, in the middle of which was a humongous fountain.

My eyes were immediately drawn to a monumental sculpture that bestrode the pool – a terrible Beast with seven heads and ten horns, each of the heads spewing out black water that fell violently down to the roiling waters at the Beast’s feet.

7-headed dragon in revelation

(There was no doubt that this was that same fountain where last saw Miriam hiding. Even from this vantage point it gave me the chills and I wondered if she was still hiding there?)

I realized that it was now early morning in my vision – for the sun was rising majestically behind the statue.

And I wondered…

Did Alan realize this colossus was The Beast I had warned everybody about in Revelation nearly 2,000 years ago?

Revelation 13

When my friend shuddered, I got my answer.

“I see you like it.” Ma’bus admired the statue. “It’s ME, you know. Ah, I can see you DO know. That’s good. I will make this process easier…for all of us.” Then rising from his chair, he boasted. “It’s only been a few years since Klaus, Tony, Barack, and the rest of my gang came up with the plandemic idea. Who could have imagined the world would be so easy to control so quickly? Our Great Reset has worked and I now stand on the brink of world domination!”

“Hardly.” Alan disputed. “So you rule a chunk of the Middle East? That’s a far cry from ruling the planet. Even if you are the new U.N. Secretary General, I know the American people continue to rebel against the socialist government there. And we both know Putin marches to the beat of his own drum. So where does that leave you?”

“Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” Ma’bus sighed. “And here I thought you were the smart one, Professor Lazarus. Do I really have to spell it out for you? Sure there are outliers. But no matter – they can’t hold out forever; it’s simple economics. After all, nearly every country has already accepted my Freedom Passes and IdentiChip. Soon enough all of them will formally join the UMAN League too.”

“Giving you power to monitor the every move of their citizens?” Alan surmised. “In exchange for what?”

“Convenience. Safety. Prestige. Smart nations want their citizens to enjoy the freedoms of all UMANity.”

“You mean the LOSS of freedom.”

“Perhaps.” Ma’bus agreed. “It’s all a matter of perspective. You know as well as I that The Third and Fourth Seals have been broken. Events are cascading forward and people are scared. Look how easily everyone on the planet gave up their freedoms and willingly endured lockdowns, dutifully wore their silly face masks, and even agreed to be repeatedly jabbed with my DNA-changing vaccines – all to escape a made-up virus that wasn’t even real! Why, Hollywood couldn’t have written such a far-fetched script! But the people wanted to be safe, you know, so Tony and I had to help them.” Then with a chuckle he added, “And let’s not forget how much they loved their they monthly UBI credits – why, they didn’t even seem to mind the wealth transfer or property repossession game we ran on them – that was my idea you know.”

Alan scoffed. “With all due respect, Dr. Ma’bus, you’re playing both sides of the fence. After all, you just admitted to being the cause of all these troubles!”

“Alan. My friend. I’m shocked.” The UMAN League ruler joked. “Could if be that you don’t really know me?” And after pausing for effect, he continued. “Or maybe you do?  If you’ve read Revelation, you know what I’m after. This is all just window dressing, a rehearsal if you will, prior to the real event.”

“You are just a rehearsal. You can’t win. Jesus will return!”

“Correction, I can’t lose.” Ma’bus said proudly. “Dear Professor, do you really think I’m only relying on mortal men to help my cause?” Then to his attendant, “Jamir, bring me my laptop.”

After the servant set up his mobile device, Ma’bus advised, “Alan, I think you’ll be interested in this – come take a look.”

I watched as Alan begrudgingly rose from his chair and walked over to his captor’s station to peer at Ma’bus’ computer.

That’s when I saw it – a sight I’ll never forget.

On the monitor, I could see what appeared to be seven webcam views – each showcasing a horrific sight, something that I knew was inevitable, but which I never believed could actually come to pass…

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Book II Chapter 4
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Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

Psychic Probes (2)

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Book II: Chapter 2
June 24

There’s something I think I forget to tell you about Miriam.

She has an unusual gift.

I don’t really understand it, but it has something to do with her being a kind of Body-Mind Master — she can control her body in such a way that she can overcome almost any physical obstacle.

But it’s more than just that, for Miriam is also an unparalleled Mentalist – not only can she communicate with thought alone, but more importantly, she has a strange ability to <influence> others. It’s a talent she calls her Psychic Probe – an Asmovian telepathic skill which, as she once explained, allows her to literally get inside the mind of another person, peel through their cerebral layers, and then reconnect the fibers of their brain in such a way that the other person will do whatever Miriam commands them to!

(Now do you see why Miriam freaks me out? Oh sure, she says that she would never try her Probe on me or Alan, but somehow I don’t trust her).

While I know that Miriam learned these skills ages past, she always refused to tell Alan or I who taught her. I can’t imagine it was Christ. And I don’t think it was Gabriel. I’ve often wondered if Miriam ever dabbled in the dark arts – I mean, we all have at one point, if only because 2,000 years is a hell of a long time to live – it’s gets boring after awhile, you know?

But Miriam is just so pure.

I can’t picture her doing anything other than wear a white dress up to her neck and prayer her rosary beads.

Then again, I’m currently watching her slink around like a secret agent dressed in black leathers and seemingly fully prepared to destroy people’s minds to get what she wants – so there’s that.

I guess you never really know someone until you walk a mile in their shoes, right?

But Miriam’s Psychic Probe ability is just weird, man. I believe the technique is dangerous to both her and the person she is trying to influence, but Miriam always claimed that she is so masterful at the craft that she can enter another’s mind with a touch so light that her probing will leave no memory in the mind of the subject — and certainly that it will do them no harm. But does this look like fun to you?

Mind Control at the Lego Level

Miriam once told Alan and I that her Probe was conducted in such a way that she does not act until she locates a group of fibers that have a natural tendency to perform in the manner she desires. Although she says it’s sometimes tedious to find such a group of cerebral fibers, Miriam claims she can complete a Probe in the merest fraction of a second — apparently the realm of the mind is a universe with a different timescale.

(Hey, I’m just telling you what she told me. I’m sure she’ll use it during this vision, so you can see for yourself).

Despite its effectiveness, Miriam claims she has only used her telepathic powers as a last resort in the most dire of situations — for she fears being corrupted by its power.

This is probably true, for even I will admit that Miriam is first and foremost a God-fearing woman, ever on guard against being tempted away from The Path. (And obviously far different than me).

However, the capture of our friend Alan by the Antichrist was a situation which surely must have met Miriam’s definition of ‘dire straits,’ therefore I’m sure that she wouldn’t hesitate to use her Probe as often as needed in order to gain access to Ma’bus’ inner stronghold as quickly as possible.

And so, understanding the mystery of how she maneuvered unseen, I watched as Miriam found herself in the innermost courtyard of Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, outside the window to the section of Bill Bates’ (AKA Dr. Ma’bus’) private chambers.

At present, I could see that she had shrouded herself within the confines of a statue that towered in the middle of the courtyard. And yet, as I looked upon the sculpture wherein Miriam hid, I felt my spine melt from the evil essence that oozed from the monument’s stones.

The statue was a monstrosity – carved from an unknown red rock, it depicted a beast with seven heads and ten horns. With the scaly-tail of a dragon, its giant body resembled that of a leopard, yet it was poised on humongous bear-like feet that skirted a twenty foot wide pond. Yet none of these features matched the fear-inspiring sight of the seven heads – each depicting the features of a tortured lion, whose eyes showed a ghastly mixture of fear and anger; and while each of the heads portrayed a different scowl, all of them spewed forth a black waterfall. The statue left me with one conclusion: this beast wanted to destroy any who looked upon it!

(Although Miriam and you might not recognize it, I knew that this statue as The Beast of Revelations 13! And thus I knew that Miriam was in deep trouble…)

And yet, if Miriam felt what I felt, she didn’t show it, instead she steeled herself to remain where she was, for the view into Ma’bus’ many rooms that opened up to this courtyard was apparently unmatched by any other vantage point.

Thus, despite the malevolence that emanated from the statue, Miriam kept her cover and waited – obviously hoping to see our friend Alan and confirm that he was still alive.

Was there any hope? I guessed we were about to find out…

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Book II: Chapter 3
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Book 2 Rise of the Antichrist

2.1 The Watcher

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Book II: Chapter 1
June 24

John Salem? Who are you? WHAT are you?

Such were the thoughts of a tired old man – such were MY thoughts – as I lay in bed, unable to get anything but a fitful sleep.

Caught between the dream world and the real, I cried out to God.

“I am confined to a life I cannot escape. Why do you afflict me so? All day long your terrors destroy me – and Darkness is now my closest friend.”

Psalm 88

I wailed similar other thoughts I can no longer remember and then mercifully I passed out again…a few bottles of Jack Daniels will do that to you.

An hour later, I woke up again – only to get another terrifying vision…

I watched as a silent stalker prowled the grounds of a middle-eastern palace complex. It was late, perhaps during the second watch, yet still a multitude of guards roved the stronghold. It didn’t take much effort for me to realize where this vision was…

Baghdad, capital of the new UMAN empire!

For thousands of years this city marked the center of a war-torn region, yet all that changed when Bill Bates changed his persona into that of Dr. Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus and then used his power and influence with the United Nations (and The Brotherhood of EArth) to transform the Middle East into what he called The Union of Many Allied Nations.

Since the entire region had been under strict lockdown since the Covid plandemic first began (read: all the people had been vaxxed, chipped, and were now used to living in a population controlled society) and since Bates and his Great Reset cronies like Klaus Schwab had planned to do this all along, the process was relatively easy — it simply involved redrawing some lines on a map and changing a few names on some accounts at The World Bank.

And that’s how Bill Bates became the de facto dictator of an area that included Iraq, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Egypt, and most of Northern Africa.

The entire process was completed in a weekend – and Bates then moved his world headquarters to Baghdad to celebrate the coup.

Since The Brotherhood had long since turned the world media into its Ministry of Truth style propaganda machine and since this was merely another step into the Brave New World of the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset towards the United Nations’ Agenda 2030, Bates’ coup was without condemnation – instead it was hailed as a world blessing. The #FakeNews media played a non-stop narrative about how citizens around the world were pleading with their governments to join the UMAN League. They also featured supporting narratives that included BLM and Antifa rioters proclaiming UMAN as the only non-racist government on the planet, as well as a cavalcade of scientists and economists who ‘proved’ that the UMAN form of government was the only sustainable way of managing the world’s resources if we wanted to prevent a climate change disaster.

In reality it was all an agenda-driven crock of crap – but since nobody asked me, I was merely another peon who was forced to continue to watch Big Brother technocrats take over the world.

As for Baghdad, once Bates as Ma’bus chose it as his capital, he sought to do what ever other totalitarian dictator in history has done by making a big production of about transforming the city into a modern technological marvel – starting with the reconstruction of the city’s most imposing building — the 600-room palace of King Nebuchadnezzar II.

Overlooking the Euphrates, and shaped like a ziggurat, the new palace Ma’bus built was situated upon very locale where the ancient Babylon king’s palace also once stood. With some of Nebuchadnezzar’s original bricks still rising a few feet above the earth, Ma’bus’ workers installed countless more sand-colored blocks — inscribing them with the words…

Ma’bus, protector of the UMAN race.

The monstrous hilltop fortress was surrounded by lush Eden-like gardens, reminiscent of the famous Hanging Gardens that were known as a wonder of the world for centuries. Spanning more than five football fields in width, Ma’bus’ complex showcased a limitless array of impressive towers, arched gates, and majestic stairways. Lavish in the extreme, many of the walls were painted with 360-degree murals painted in honor of ancient Babylon, Ur, and the Tower of Babel (not to mention more than a few of Ma’bus himself – although even with his Muslim robes and hat, the pictures of the ruler still looked a lot like the nerdy Bill Bates version to me).

Nebuchadnezzar’s Palace – Rebuilt by Ghaz al’Ridwan Ma’bus

Yet none of this ostentation mattered much to me and clearly not to the silent stalker I was watching – for I knew she was not here to admire the architectural beauty of Bates’ new realm, but was instead was on another mission.

After all, although the world now view this Dr. Ma’bus as a leader who was on fire for world peace, you and I know better now, right? And I had to assume the little spy I was observing knew the same.

And if, by chance, she hadn’t known about Bates’ nefarious side before her arrival, surely she must have realized it by now — for with practically every step of her covert journey through the dictator’s palace grounds she was confronted by an in-your-face military presence – as the UMAN League capital was patrolled by menacing guards trained to shoot first and ask questions later. (Something the #FakeNews naturally never talked about).

And yet, none of the guards even noticed our spy — for I’d already watched as this unwelcome (and as yet unknown) intruder had no trouble slithering her way over walls, past the eyes of countless patrols, and eventually into her present hiding spot. And while I was not all that surprised to see her be able to pull off a stunt like this, I’m sure you must be wondering how she managed to penetrate Ma’bus’ defenses so easily, right?

I suppose one could argue that it’s not completely unthinkable for a lone intruder to scurry past a host of wandering guards.

And I guess it’s its theoretically feasible for such an invader to bypass the many other security systems — provided they knew all the checkpoint codes, the secret passwords, and had knowledge of the other miscellaneous security challenges.

Yet even then, the assailant would need quite a bit of luck as well, right?

However I say what’s possible in theory is far from likely in reality!

Unless of course the invader has more than luck on their side.

Such was the case for our friend Miriam Magdala – you remember her from Book I, right?

And so it goes – we get to start today with a vision of Miriam!

Lord, help me, there’s not enough Jack in the world to get me through that!

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Book II Chapter 2
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Revelations, Tantalizing Tidbits

13 Most Famous Verses of Revelation

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Verses of Revelation – No study of the Book of Revelation would be complete without diving into the most famous verses from the text. We have another article about the Book of Revelations in a broader sense (discussing the meaning, the key symbols and characters, and even the debate over who really wrote the book), but here the focus is on the actual verses from this legendary book.

Here then are the 13 Most Popular Verses of The Book of Revelation… 

Editor’s Note: The choice of which specific verses are considered the ‘most famous’ was decided by a review of search engine traffic volume as well as cross-references to other respected sites on this topic. Obviously not everyone may agree on the selection of these verses and if YOU have a different verse you’d like to recommend please let us know in the comments. 

Revelation 1: 1-2

Revelation 1: 1-2

“This book is the record of the events that Jesus Christ revealed. God gave him this revelation in order to show to his servants what must happen very soon. Christ made these things known to his servant John by sending his angel to him, and John has told all that he has seen.” 

Gustav Dore’s “John of Patmos”

Revelation 1: 8

Revelation 1: 8 

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”


Revelation 3: 20

Revelation 3: 20

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

“Christ at the Door Knocking” by William Holman Hunt c 1853

Revelation 6: 8

Revelation 6: 8

“I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth.”

Gustav Dore’s Pale Rider

Revelation 6: 12

Revelation 6: 12

“I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red…”


Revelation 7: 9

Revelation 7: 9

“After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.”


Revelation 9: 11

Revelation 9: 11

“They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).”

John Bunyan’s “Christian vs Abaddon” c 1850

Revelation 12: 7-9

Revelations 12: 7-9

“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.”

Luca Giordano’s “The Fall of the Rebel Angels”

Revelation 13: 1-2

Revelation 13: 1-2

“The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.”


Revelation 13: 16-18

Revelation 13: 16-18 

“It also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” 


Revelation 14: 1

Revelation 14: 1

“Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads.”


Revelation 20: 12-15

Revelation 20: 12-15

“And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.”


Revelation 21: 1-4

Revelation 21: 1-4 

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death, or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away’.”


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The AntiChrist is Here – Today?

What if the events detailed in The Book of Revelation were about to occur… this year?

Could anyone save us from certain death? The answer is YES. Hard as it may be to believe, St. John the Apostle is still alive today – having been blessed with the Gift of Immortality so that he could survive to fight against the coming of The Antichrist. Unfortunately, over the course of the last 2,000 years John has lost is faith!

Can John recover his faith in time to stop Armageddon or will Satan’s Son achieve Ultimate Victory? The answer to that question and many more will be revealed in the thrilling new book series The Last TeLastTemptationofJohn-Bk1mptation of John.

Read it the trilogy today… if your faith is strong enough.


Mary Magdalene, Tantalizing Tidbits

Was Mary Magdalene the Adulteress from The Gospel of John?

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Was Mary Magdalene the Adulteress from The Gospel of John? Many Christians have been brought up believing that famous Adulteress from the Gospel of John was in fact Mary Magdalene and for nearly 1,300 years this is what was formally taught in Catholic doctrine – but is this legend even true?

In this article, we’ll explore the connection between the woman caught in adultery from John’s Gospel and the disciple Mary Magdalene from the Bible. 

Editor’s Note: This article is part of a larger article about Mary Magdalene titled “Mary Magdalene – Saint, Sinner, or Something More?”

Why Do People Believe Mary Magdalene is the Woman Caught in Adultery?

The notion that the adulteress was Mary Magdalene traces back to (at least) the early 6th century when Pope Gregory I officially proclaimed her to be the adulteress from John 8.

In order to make the association stick, Pope Gregory also had to connect the dots by proclaiming that Mary Magdalene was in fact also Mary of Bethany – the sister of Martha and Lazarus. This was necessary because Mary of Bethany was the proclaimed to be the woman with the sinful past who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears and/or anointed him with the alabaster jar of perfume in various gospels).

Why all the Mary’s?

The reason Mary of Bethany had to be the woman who anointed Jesus in order to trace her back to Mary Magdalene is a bit of a circuitous route. The apparent basis for Pope Gregory’s decision relates to Luke 8:2 where Mary Magdalene is specifically named as having been cured of “7 demons” by Christ. One or more of these ‘demons’ was thought to relate to a sinful ‘sexual’ past and from there it was apparently just a hop, skip, and a jump for Pope Gregory to connect the dots from Mary Magdalene, to Mary of Bethany, to the woman who anointed Jesus, to the Adulteress of John.

Well that makes perfect sense, right? Not!

Is there ANY Evidence that Supports Mary Magdalene is the Adulteress?

Besides the ‘sexual demon’ theory, there are some who claim that Mary’s place of birth was the best ‘evidence’ of all.

To wit: Mary Magdalene also means Mary of Magdala. This is important because Magdala, located along the Sea of Galilee near Tiberias, was a prosperous port city during the time of Christ. And what do we know about nearly all ‘port cities’ the world over? They are a haven for prostitutes.

It’s reported that Rome eventually destroyed Magdala “because of its moral depravity and its participation in the Jewish revolt.”

Additionally, the Jewish Talmud word Magdalene may be translated to “curling women’s hair,” which apparently is code word for “adulteress.”

Thus more ammunition to support Pope Gregory’s claims that Mary Magdalene was a woman of ill-repute and that she was committed to Christ for saving her from her unsavory past. 

So Was Mary Magdalene the Adulteress?

Honestly we may never really know, however it’s worth digging a bit deeper into Pope Gregory’s decision.

Clearly we can conclude that Mary Magdalene was definitively the “Mary” of Luke 8 – after all she was specifically named by her full name in this verse. However one is left to wonder why the mention of her past demons and her place of birth must also necessarily mean that she was the adulteress, or Mary the sister of Martha, or the penitent woman with the perfume.

Consider the following…

  • Mary was one of the most common names among the people of this time in Israel (even Jesus’ mother was named Mary), so just because a “Mary” is mentioned in the Bible that doesn’t mean it must be Mary Magdalene, right?
  • In every other Biblical story that references Mary Magdalene, she is called by her full name at some point in the story. Why would she not be identified by name in the story about the adulteress or if Mary Magdalene was also Mary of Bethany? 

We may never know why Pope Gregory made this decision (although our discussion of Conspiracy Theories about Mary Magdalene is of interest here), however it should be noted that while the Catholic Church held this view from the 6th century onward, it was officially reversed in 1969 by Pope Paul VI (although without much fanfare). As it stands now, the Church no longer associates Mary Magdalene with Mary of Bethany or the Adulteress. And as an interesting side note, the Eastern Orthodox Church apparently never did. 

 

What’s the Truth about Mary Magdalene in the Bible?

In spite of her past demons and her place of birth the fact is that there is no concrete evidence that Mary Magdalene is the famous adulteress from the Gospel of John 8:3-11.

The name of the adulteress in these verses is actually not given so we have no way of knowing who the woman was.

The Adulteress could have been Mary Magdalene…or pretty much any other woman alive at the time who lived there.

Additional References

Learn more about the debate with these links:

  1. Catholic Straight Answers: Who was Mary Magdalene?
  2. Wikipedia: Mary Magdalene Bio
  3. Wakeup.Org: Mystery of Mary Magdalene
  4. Bible Odyssey: Mary Magdalene 
  5. Bible Archaeology: Was Mary Magdalene a Prostitute? 
  6. Smithsonian: Who was Mary Magdalene? 
  7. The Bible Means: Where in the Bible is Mary Magdalene a Prostitute?

What do YOU Believe?

Do you have an opinion or theory on this topic? Let us know what you believe about Mary Magdalene and the Adulteress. 

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St John the Apostle, Tantalizing Tidbits

Who Wrote The Book of Revelation? Apostle John or a DIFFERENT John?

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Who wrote the Book of Revelation? Did the Apostle John really Revelation? The answer is not as easy as it seems. In this article we’ll explore the arguments in favor of St John being the author and also talk about why some experts believe there was “another John” behind this famous book. I’ll also give you my opinion on this age-old question which has now plagued Christians for nearly 2,000 years. 

1. Who was John of Patmos?

“John of Patmos” is the self-identified author in the text of The Book of Revelation.

While it’s helpful that the author named himself for us, the problem we face has always been – WHO exactly was John of Patmos? Was he St John the Apostle or was he perhaps a lesser known “John?”

Let’s explore…

Gustav Dore’s “John of Patmos”

2. Who Wrote the Book of Revelation – What Most People Believe

The mainstream view is that John of Patmos is in fact John the Apostle.

Apostle John was also known as St John the Immortal, John the Beloved, John of Zebedee, John the Revelator, John the Divine, and John the Theologian. Given that he was a man of many names, it’s possible that Saint John was also known as John of Patmos too. 

What Books did St John write?

In addition to being credited with The Book of Revelation, Apostle John is also commonly held by many to be the author of The Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, and possibly the apocryphal text called The Gospel of the Secret Supper (a text long lost to history but which can now be read in The Gnostic Bible).

When is St John believed to have written The Book of Revelation?

The theory is that the apostle was evangelizing in Rome and was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman Emperor Domitian in 95 AD as punishment because John was perceived as a threat to Roman rule. Recall that during Domitian’s rule Rome didn’t look kindly on Christians and banished a number of alleged practitioners of  ‘magic and prophecy.’

Under this theory then John is said to have received visions while on Patmos and that he wrote the Book of Revelation during these later years of his life.

HOWEVER, not everyone agrees that Saint John is the true author of The Book of Revelation…

3. Is there “another John” who could be the real author of Revelation?

Despite the mainstream view that John the Apostle wrote Revelation, many modern scholars do not believe this to be true. Perhaps the most famous in our times is Bart Ehrman.  There were also numerous early church elders (among them the famed Eusebius) who believed the author of Revelation was a “different John.”

Who were these other Johns?

Speculation as to who the real John of Patmos was has raged over the centuries. Various other Johns have been put forward as being the author of Revelation. These include:

Why don’t some people believe St. John wrote The Book of Revelation?

The main reasons some early church fathers as well as modern experts don’t buy in to St. John being the author of Revelation has to do with the argument that St. John was NOT (in their view) John of Patmos. Belief in this ‘two-John’ theory has to do with the vast differences between the other texts that St John is  alleged to have written compared to the Book of Revelation. These differences can be summarized as follows: 

  • The author of Revelation specifically identifies himself (i.e. as John of Patmos), while whoever wrote the Gospel of John and the Epistles of John does not specifically identify himself (although St John is held to be the author in most mainstream circles). 
  • There are noted differences in language – the original Greek used in the Gospels and Letters of John is more ‘elegant’ and mistake-free while in Revelations it is more crude. (For more on this, read this book on the topic). 
  • The theological outlook of the books are clearly different. To wit: the Gospel of John focuses on establishing Jesus as the Messiah and professes that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. More importantly the Gospel of John is NOT an apocalyptic text and there is little to no discussion of a soon-to-approach end of the age. The Book of Revelation is the very epitome of an apocalyptic text and its primary purpose is to discuss the soon-to-occur End Times. 

But there’s yet another problem with The Johns…

We don’t know much about John the Evangelist, John the Presbyter, and John the Elder – in fact, it’s possible that these monikers were actually alternate names for the Apostle John. If so, then this could mean that the apostle actually DID write Revelation. After all, being that St John was known by so many names, it’s highly possible he was John of Patmos too. 

4. But did Saint John even write The Gospel of John?

Pondering this question will take  you further down the John Rabbit Hole…

Did you know that not all scholars believe that John the Apostle even wrote the Gospel of John?

The biggest reasons for this trace all the way back to John’s roots. Let’s recall that the apostle John was.  According to the Bible, Saint John was…

  • John of Zebedee, the brother of James, AKA James the Greater).
  • John and his brother were both some of the first disciples Jesus recruited during the early days of his ministry.
  • While John and James went on to become prominent figures in Jesus’ evangelical mission (both during his life and after), they were also both allegedly poor fisherman from Galilee who likely not even literate.
  • The language they spoke was Aramaic, but The Gospel of John and the Epistles were all originally written (as far as we know) in Greek – with a highly literate style.

How did an illiterate, Aramaic speaking fisherman from Galilee write in a high form of Greek?

While it’s certainly possible that John learned a new language during his own evangelical missions as he allegedly traveled outside Palestine on his way to Rome, and while it’s possible that he also learned to read and write, some wonder if he would have been able to develop this writing skills to the level displayed in the Gospel and Letters.

HOWEVER – what’s interesting about this knock on John is that this argument (i.e. that basically St John wasn’t educated enough to use the writing style of the Gospel and the Epistles) actually supports St John being the author of Revelation!

Remember, the writing style of the Greek used by John of Patmos in Revelation is said to be riddled with errors and ‘of a cruder nature.’ Isn’t this exactly as one might suspect of say a fisherman who learned Greek later in life?!?

And so the rabbit hole just got deeper, eh?

5. What do I personally believe about who wrote Revelation?

Personally I choose to believe that St John the Apostle actually wrote everything attributed to him – i.e. The Gospel of John, the Epistles of John, AND The Book of Revelations. This means that I therefore also believe that Saint John the Apostle was indeed John of Patmos.

But how do I reconcile the differences in style between the books and that St John was allegedly illiterate?

Just because someone doesn’t know how to read or write early in life doesn’t mean they can’t learn later, right? And isn’t is possible that if John traveled through Greek-speaking lands that he learned to read, speak, and write that language over the years?

Perhaps most importantly of all, I’m willing to ascribe to the theory that God is more than capable of inspiring St John with whatever literary skills he needed to pen these books.

I also think it makes for a better story.

So either way, Saint John wins in my book!. 🙂

What’s YOUR Take?

Who do YOU believe really wrote Revelations?

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