First story

Let us continue with our little series on "extreme prophecy" -- and what does or  does not go too far. In the last article, we explored the outer bounds of phenomena -- in the way of "gemstones" said to materialize in a supernatural way in Idaho. Hmmm. What about dreams and visions? What about predictions? Where do we draw the line there?

What can we learn from them?

Recently I received the following from a highly intelligent columnist for a major newspaper who for obvious reasons wishes to remain anonymous.

"I mentioned on my blog the other morning that in prayer -- on the 9/11 anniversary -- I 'heard' very clearly 'Revelation 6:3,'" he relates. "After finishing my prayer, I opened up the Bible, and saw that that particular verse announces the opening of the second seal and the unleashing of the Red Horse (global war).

"Now, I know better than to claim that I really did hear from God. Still, I watch. That brought to mind something a priest-friend told me after 9/11. He said that before the attacks, an old family friend who wasn't a particularly faithful Catholic came to him asking for advice. The man's wife had died a year or so ago, and he'd been having a rough time of it. He'd had a very vivid dream in which his wife appeared to him, led him to a picnic on a green and peaceful meadow, and told him not to worry about her, that she's in a wonderful place. He felt immensely comforted by the visit. At the end, she stood up to tell him goodbye, and said to him, 'The world is coming to an end. Look to Pegasus.' He told her he didn't understand. She pointed to the sky and repeated, 'Pegasus' -- then spelled it out.

"Then the dream ended. The man asked my priest friend what Pegasus meant. Father didn't know. Then 9/11 happened." Pegasus, he pointed out, is a white horse and the first seal unleashes a white horse of conquering.

What to make of such?

First of all, I myself don't believe for a minute that the world is about to end, and have never even so implied. I have constantly emphasized such since The Final Hour in 1992 -- which had to do with the final hour of our era, not the world (despite those who have lumped it with more extreme prophecies).

No one knows that hour -- not even Christ.

At Medjugorje, seers have indicated that major events loom in our future -- seemingly huge changes -- but have never indicated that we are on the verge of final doom, and in fact one seer, Vicka Ivankovic, once told me, when I asked if she could clearly state that the end of the world was not in her secrets, that she could confirm there was nothing in her secrets of the Final Coming of Jesus, nor the end of the world.

The 1990 prophecy, which I have also studied with seriousness, and written an entire book about, directly states that "the world will not end but change."

Major events? You bet. Incredible trends and events are in the future -- more than have been seen in centuries. But not necessarily the final apocalypse. We present prophecy because Scripture admonishes us not to despise it.

No major apparition has ever prophesied the world's end (despite attempts by modernists in the Church to lump all prophecy with such doom-saying).

Nonetheless, a major purification is coming, it is at a very early stage already, and we already are witnessing "God's signs" (says another Medjugorje seer).

Moreover, the dream about Pegasus was interesting because the description was strikingly similar to near-death experiences. There was a wonderful place. It was like a meadow. His wife was full of radiance and peace.

This is all consistent with near-death episodes. And our loved ones do communicate with us.

But few near-death episodes involve prophecies, and when they do, they virtually never involve the end of the world. Change, yes, but not the "end." As one put it: “From 1992 to 2012, great natural disasters will happen, such as earthquakes, floods, tidal waves, and weather changes. Earthquakes will strike the eastern coast of the U.S. There will be three days of darkness from the explosion of volcanoes. Ultimately, these natural disasters will stop. Humanity will always have the Light.”

That was a woman named Cassandra Musgrove who had "died" and related a period that coincided, at least in its initiation, with the "1990 prophecy," which I have discussed many times and which is the focus of Tower of Light.

"Great disturbances around the Pacific Rim will occur because of earthquakes,” said another near-death experiencer, Elaine Durham. "Icebergs will break up, move into warmer waters, and melt, causing the sea level to rise. This will alter the shape of the coastline. America will not be completely destroyed."

Thus, we do not face the final moments of history, at least according to those two.

But there is certainly a pulse out there! One exception: a woman, Angie Fenimore, who committed suicide and to her surprise (she was a Protestant), found herself in the dark depths of purgatory -- allegedly. "Humanity is in the final moments before Jesus Christ returns to this earth," she claims in a book. "The earth is being prepared for this event. The war between the forces of light and the forces of darkness are growing so intense on earth, humanity is in danger of being consumed by the forces of darkness."

For your discernment.

"At a recent dinner out at a restaurant with my husband, I asked the owner about a message she had taped to the door about our Lord," noted a viewer of this website. "The restaurant was empty and she launched into great urgency in broken English about the judgment that is coming soon. She apparently is like a visionary for her Chinese Christian church. Her only son is a minister and missionary. I had seen the sign before but noticed it more yesterday. She seemed to think it was really soon. I have been going to that restaurant for 15-plus years. She was talking about sin and repentance and judgment and she did not even know which English words to use. It was like charades but her seriousness and urgency were clear."

How soon is soon? Have there not been urgent prophecies in many centuries?

"There is not much time before the trumpets will blow," reported an alleged locutionist -- again relating to Revelation. "Your soul must be prepared. You must begin today and simplify your life. You must let go of your wealth so you have more time to kneel before Our Lord. God cannot direct you if you do not spend time in prayer. God has so much to share with you, but you must open your hearts and listen."

Simplicity: this I can accept as a major theme to which we must adhere. Simplify your life. Spiritually, circle the wagons.

What about Pegasus -- and that passage from Revelation?

Here we get once more into the interesting past-time of speculation.

"Pegasus is, of course, a white horse," said the columnist, referring to the opening of the second seal and the unleashing of the Red Horse (global war). "The first seal unleashes a white horse of conquering. But now comes global war. I don't know. I've looked from time to time for something to connect the constellation Pegasus to the Iraq War. The Iraq War started on the vernal equinox in 2003, but I don't know that that's any kind of connection. I just mention all this because it comes and goes on my mind a lot."

If the dream has validity -- and such a cataclysm is in the wind -- one might be excused for letting the mind stretch to the possibility that in pointing to a constellation, the dream, if not New Agey, was pointing to something that would occur when Pegasus is prominent, or to something like an asteroid coming from that part of the sky.

"The stars in the sky fell to the earth like unripe figs shaken loose from the tree in a strong wind," says Revelation 6:13-14. "Then the sky was divided like a torn scroll curling up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place."

Speculation, speculation!

A good route to Heaven: every day, every moment, should be lived as if it were our last. We are best off praying and preparing ourselves -- our inner selves always, before we are consumed with "end" things.

But few matters are more fascinating.

"You may use my dream if you like. I did write about it briefly the other day on my blogsite, but I didn't let on how seriously I take such things (and would appreciate it if you didn't let on that this stuff engages my imagination at a deeper level than I feel comfortable writing about at the present moment). I just wanted to get it out there, to see if others are having similar dreams."

10/18/07