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3.36 The Hand of God

Book III: Chapter 26
Date Unknown

As I left my earthly body, I was granted one final vision, and since you’ve come this far with me, I imagine you’ll want to hear about this too…

Golgotha by Lee Steiner

What I saw next was something that was undoubtedly UNseen by everyone else ,for God gave me a vision inside of Pope Benedict’s battle helmet — there I saw that Benedict’s visage was awash with of horror (not victory!) as he punctured my heart and released my life force. Clearly this was not the face of the Antichrist’s Second Helper – for such a fiend would surely have rejoiced at killing Christ’s Immortals. For a moment I was confused…

Whose side was Benedict on? Was a Pawn of Satan or a Champion of Christ?

I watched as the Pope bowed his head while standing below my body. As he pulled the pike back out of my side he was shaking and it was everything he could do to pull my Nail off of the spear and add it to his belt. Yet he completed the task – and it was significant for this action finally gave him control of all three of The Nails of Jesus.

Pope Benedict was thus the first person in history to possess all three nails since the centurion who used them to crucify our lord over 2,000 years ago. It immediately filled him with power!

Yet here he paused.

Standing below my now-dead body as it hung limply on the cross above, he took a long moment to collect himself, before finally turning around and walking back towards Bill Bates as The Beast Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus… and towards HIS final destiny.

By now the red-streaked skies were roiling worse than before and a Heavenly Thunder had replaced the booming of the earthly drums.

“I am the Hand of God!” Pope Benedict screamed within the din as he continued his inexorable walk to The Altar of the Most High God.

Had Bates or Schwab heard that proclamation perhaps events might have turned out differently on this day, but fortunately neither the Beast nor his evil henchman heard the Pope’s cry — for Bates had already gone into The Dome of The Rock to pursue his own designs and Schwab was focused on inciting the crowd to acts of debauchery as everyone waited for EA Incarnate in the form of Bates’ self-made persona known as Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus to re-emerge from The Well of Souls.

As my spirit watched, it seemed that Satan’s Son was well on his way to completing The Armageddon Rite – and thereby gaining control of the world. It was truly a Dark Day from my perspective and Nature seemed to agree with me – for the landscape was buffeted anew with a viscous sand storms, all worse than before.

And yet, as if it was a bright summer’s day in a dewy meadow, The Pope seemed unaffected by the raging weather. I watched as Benedict reached The Altar and began to remove each of The Nails from his belt. Using the care of a master craftsman, he installed The Nails within The Crown That Rains Blood – preparing it for The Beast.

After this he waited. And I with him.

Time passed slowly – yet whether it was thousand years or just a single day, who can say?


During the interim, Schwab has incited the Chosen to in debaucheries galore  – committing every sin imaginable and likely inventing new ones, and what they did to the bodies of the murdered innocents that littered the ground around them was unspeakably disturbing. 

The Last Judgement

Things got so out of control that had I the power to end my vision, I might well have done so.

At last, Bill Bates, Dr. Ghaz al’ Ridwan Ma’bus, the new EA Incarnate, emerged from The Dome of the Rock.

Gone was any last vestige of his humanity – for this was no longer Bill Bates the would-be world savior, and it was the new Dr. Ghaz al-Ridwan Ma’bus, Director of the Union of Many Allied Nations and de facto World President – instead the creature that emerged from its confrontation at The Well of Souls was but one thing: EA IncarnateThe Beast – Satan’s Son!

<EVIL> in its purest form emanated from the monster that made its way slowly back towards the Altar of the One True God. By now, I knew that It must have successfully broken open The Foundation Stone and then had been able to throw The Book of Life into The Well.

That meant that to complete The Armageddon Rite It only needed to utilize one more item — The Scroll of the Illuminated Angels – which It now carried in Its talons.

With utter confidence, the creature clove its way across the span between the now sundered Foundation Stone and The Altar – clearly intent on destroying the latter as well. 

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 twenty foot wide sections of earth. Yet none of these other features matched the fear-inspiring sight of Its seven heads – each with a different visage: Nero, Attila, Arnulf, Weishaupt, Hitler, Ma’bus, and the last a formless black slate.

Worse yet, each face depicted a different portrayal of the Seven Deadly Sins – it was the Chairs of Woe come to life — as one head showed victorious Pride, another soul-destroying Wrath, a third unquenchable Lust, and so on down the line through Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, and Envy. Yet regardless of which Sin they showcased, all of the heads spewed forth a black waterfall of evil words in the deep, guttural language of The Tongues of The Abyss.

At the horror of the sight that was The Beast even the mood of Klaus Schwab and his Chosen Ones shifted and those wayward souls who were once so confident in their choice to follow their EA Incarnate now appeared to realize that The Beast was not only NOT going to allow them to share in Its glory, but instead was intent on destroying them as well!

Schwab was the first to wail as he held up his hands in terror, backing away as The Beast approached him. The people on the hillsides also cried out in fear as they experienced a wave of emotions…

  • Sorrow.
  • Doubt.
  • Regret.
  • Horror!

Yet for them, it was too late. (You chose poorly, friends).

Schwab yelled out, “What about our great Agenda, Lord. Didn’t I serve you we–“

But the Beast reached out Its claws and tore Schwab in two, casting The Great Reset architect’s body aside as It neared The Altar.

And all the while the thunder rolled, threatening to bring down the heavens.

The windstorm raged on, now whipping dusts and debris all around. And soon enough, the landscape began to erupt at the feet of The Chosen – sending flames of fire shooting up to devour them.

And then, suddenly, from out of the fires came forth the Seven Angels – those pitiful creatures who had been so mercilessly tortured by Bates.

They had been released (yet by whom I did not know), and each of them held their Golden Bowls of Revelations – the cauldrons now boiling over with the brimstone of retribution.

Despite their previous tortures, I could see that at least two of the Angels had been restored to their former glory, and hovering over the cowering disciples of The Beast, they released the contents of their smoking Bowls – pouring forth horrible judgments upon the evil doers!

Praise God! Praise God indeed!

But it was what happened next that was the key…


Keep Reading

37 – The Armageddon Rite
Book III Table of Contents

Miriam’s Sins (9)

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

Seven Deadly Sins, The Chairs of Woe, and The Antichrist

What is a “Deadly” sin and what are the Seven Deadly Sins from The Bible? In this article we’ll explore where they come from in the Bible, what each of the 7 Deadly Sins are, and talk about their relationship to the infamous Chairs of Woe which feature prominently in the books The Last Temptation of John – a trilogy of novels about the events of The Book of Revelations and the emergence of The Antichrist during our times. 

[lwptoc]

What is a “Deadly” sin?

The “Deadly” sin is also known as ‘capital sin’ or a ‘mortal sin‘ because committing this types of sins was historically associated with a sin of such magnitude that it would be worthy of eternal death. If the person who committed the sin did not get absolved from it (via the Catholic sacrament of Confession), then they were believed doomed to spend eternity in the fires of Hell.

Think of a Deadly Sin as a crime that is punishable in the modern world by capital punishment (AKA “The Death Penalty”) and you’ll understand the significance of a ‘Deadly’ sin to a person who lived in the Middle Ages

What are the Seven Deadly Sins?

Lust
Gluttony
Greed
Sloth
Wrath
Envy
Pride

What are the Latin Names for the 7 Deadly Sins?

English to Latin

Lust = Luxuria

Gluttony = Gula

Greed = Avaritia

Sloth = Acedia or Tristitia

Wrath = Ira

Envy = Invidia

Pride = Superbia

What is the Meaning of the Seven Deadly Sins?

To understand the meaning of the 7 Deadly Sins we should first understand the context that made them popular. Dante Alighieri (AKA just “Dante”) was a famous poet and writer who lived in Italy during the Late Middle Ages – a period during which Europe (and especially Italy) was essentially ruled by the Catholic Church. Most of the people of the time were poor and endured terrible hardships during their lives – they didn’t have much to hope for in this world so many put their faith in the promise of a better life in the afterlife of The Bible as promised them by The Church. 

To attain such an afterlife (unless one could afford to buy indulgences to pay for their sins – which most of the poor could not afford to do), a person had to live a good live on earth (by practicing the 7 Virtues discussed below) and above all avoiding the mortal sins that could cast them into Hell. 

Although he didn’t invent the deadly sins (see below), Dante certainly made them famous when he wrote a trilogy of epic poems called “The Divine Comedy” which included the works “Inferno,” “Purgatorio,” and “Paradisio.” The most famous of these was “Inferno” (his vision of Hell) and this is the one wherein Dante brought The Seven Deadly Sins to life in graphic detail with his writing and the artist Gustave Dore took it a step further with his art…

In Dante’s book, the sinners whose souls are stuck in Hell (i.e. The Inferno) must endure an eternity of punishment by forever ‘living’ the very sin that put them in hell. And this is what brings us to our meaning  for each of the 7 deadly sins…

Lust – Luxuria – The First Deadly Sin
Dante’s first deadly sin was Lust, AKA Luxuria. This could be a carnal desire or a lust for something non-sexual.  From a sexual standpoint this sin could be “unbridled sexual desire that causes the sinner to fornicate, commit adultery, rape, bestiality, and other immoral sexual acts.” But lust of a non-sexual exists too – think lust for wealth, lust for power, etc. Anything a sinner lusts for is something that person places above God and thus the ‘deadly’ nature of this sin. 

Gluttony – Gula – The Second Deadly Sin
The sin of Gluttony is overindulgence. Too much of anything is never a good thing, right? The over consumption that comes from being a glutton leads to waste and when you consider that food was scare and famines were frequent during the time Dante wrote, you get a better understanding why gluttony was such a big deal – if greedy rich people eat all the rood, that leaves little left for the needy and poor. Beyond just overeating, Gula is also associated with selfishness and the sin of gluttony occurs when you place your own desires above those of others.  Similar to Lust, the deadly sin of Gluttony causes the sinner to desire something above God – which is a surefire ticket to Dante’s Inferno, where said sinner can eat whatever they desired most in life again, and again, and again for all time… no matter how sick of it they become. 

Greed – Avaritia – The Third Deadly Sin
Similar to Lust, the sin of Green is associated with desire – in this case mostly for wordly possession. Think “avarice” or “covetousness” and you’ll understand this sin. The Catholic Church talks about this sin as having an uncontrolled “desire and pursuit of material possessions” and Thomas Aquinas wrote, “Greed is a sin against God…in as much as man condemns things eternal for the sake of temporal things.” Examples of Greed are hoarding, theft, miserliness, simony, etc. Remember the words of Jesus from Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters… you can’t love both God and Money.” A sinner greedy for worldly possessions, loses their focus on God, thus forfeiting their potential treasures in heaven for the wealth of this world – which is unfortunately all too fleeting. 

Sloth – Acedia or Tristitia – The Fourth Deadly Sin. 
Unlike the other deadly sins, which are sins of action, the deadly sin of Sloth is a sin of INACTION. When we think of Sloth now, we usually bring to mind someone who is lazy , but the sin of Sloth is more than just laying around, it’s a failure to do, a failure to act, even a failure to feel. Dante wrote that Acedia was a “failure to love God with all one’s heart, all one’s mind and all one’s soul” (which bring to mind Jesus’ words in Luke 10:27). A person is such a state of apathy would be committing a deadly sin because they are failing to focus on God’s goodness and God’s mission for them in this world – by not using their talents they are destroying God’s work in their life. 

Wrath – Ira – The Fifth Deadly Sin
The sin of Wrath is many things – including anger, hate, rage, and the desire for revenge. People who commit the sin of Wrath often do acts of violence that harm others (think murder, rape, torture, acts of war) or themselves (self-torture, suicide). Since this type of action is a violation of numerous Commandments it’s not hard to see why Wrath is a deadly sin that would send someone to Hell. 

Envy – Invidia – The Sixth Deadly Sin
Envy is another deadly since based on desire. It’s also another associated with the 10 Commandments – (specifically the “Thou Shalt Not Covet” commandmens #8, 9, & 10). When someone is jealous of what their neighbor has, it creates a feeling of discontent and eventually severs their relationship. Envy can take many forms beyond just a desire for someone’s possessions, it could also be jealously for someone else’s appearance, status in life, abilities, etc. Dante wrote that  envy was “a desire to deprive other men of theirs” and Dante’s punishment for those who committed the deadly sin of Envy was “to have their eyes sewn shut with wire because they gained sinful pleasure from seeing others brought low” – ouch!

Pride – Superbia – The Seventh Deadly Sin
Believe it or not, the sin of Pride was the most deadly sin of all. Dante’s definition of pride was “love of self perverted to hatred and contempt for one’s neighbor” and although it is last on the list of deadly sins, Dante consider it the worst. Why? Consider that Pride is the very sin that caused the angel Lucifer to be cast out of heaven. Biblical writers warn against the sin of Pride no less than 30 times in the Bible (for example Proverbs 16:5 ” The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”) One could even argue that The Original Sin of Adam and Eve was one of Pride – the conscious decision to eat of the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in an effort to become more like God is perhaps the most prideful sin in human history. Thus Pride is (and always has been) the most deadly of the seven deadly sins. 

Are the 7 Deadly Sins In The Bible?

The short answer is “NO” – the seven deadly sins are NOT listed in The Bible in the format we are used to seeing them in: i.e. Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride. 

If they are not listed in the Bible, where did the 7 deadly sins come from?
In the 4th century a Christian mystic named Evagrius Ponticus listed 8 ‘Principal Vices’ which the Christian monk John Cassian cataloged in his writings (the additeional vice being one called “Vainglory“). Later, in the 6th century, Pope Gregory I trimmed the list of Cassian’s eight vices down to the “Seven Deadly Sins” that Dante made famous and which we know today.  Pope Gregory viewed these as capital (i.e. “principal”) because many other sins came from them. Additionally,  according to this source, they are enumerated in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1866. 

Although the 7 deadly sins are not ‘listed’ in a single list form anywhere in the Bible, they are certainly discussed throughout the text. Here’s an example (from a fellow blogger) of the sins referenced in numerous Bible books…


What are the Seven Virtues

The Seven (Christian) Virtues (Latin) are:

Chastity (Castitas)

Temperance (Temperantia)

Charity (Caritas)

Diligence (Industria)

Patience (Patientia)

Kindness (Humanitas)

Humility (Humilitas)

To learn more about the Seven Virtues visit The Catechism of Catholicism and the website Changing Minds. 

Meanwhile, check out this amazing painting that depicts that Seven Virtues and the Sven Vices by Francesco Pesellino.

 

What are The Chairs of Woe? How do The Chairs of Woe and 7 Deadly Sins Fit Into The Last Temptation of John books?

The Chairs of Woe are torture devices that exist in the fictional world created by author M. C. Stoppa’s The Last Temptation of John books. 

The Chairs of Woe are used by The Antichrist to torture the character Alan Zarus (AKA Lazarus) in an effort to get the immortal to reveal the location of the remaining Nails of Christ which The Beast needs to complete The Armageddon Rite to stop the Second Coming of Jesus. 

Each Chair of Woe is located in a different room within the Antichrist’s palace and each chair is associated with one of the seven deadly sins – thus there are chairs for Lust, Gluttony,  Greed, Wrath, Sloth, Envy and Pride. 

No mortal could endure a single Chair of Woe for very long without perishing, yet when the Antichrist forces the immortal Lazarus to endure the torture of The Chairs, disastrous consequences result – since Lazarus can’t die, he is forced to suffer beyond measure and only the combined efforts of his fellow immortals can save him – if they dare to try to break into The Beast’s stronghold. 

The Antichrist and The 7 Deadly Sins

The Antichrist has come

What if the events detailed in The Book of Revelations 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 Temptation of John.

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