Catholic Eschatology: World War 3

The end times is divided into two parts. The first part is for this generation. The second part is in the distant future.

The four horsemen of the apocalypse is simply four sets of events. There are no literal horses or literal riders of those horses. The first horseman of the apocalypse is not Jesus Christ, as some foolish persons have opined. The figurative conquering of the world by the Gospel began 2000 years ago, and continues today; it is not one of the four horseman.

The first horseman, which is also the first Seal, is World War 3. As predicted by some holy persons in the distant past, the Arab Muslim nations of the Middle East and northern Africa will invade and conquer Europe.

[Isaiah]
{5:26} And he will lift up a sign to nations far away, and he will whistle to them from the ends of the earth. And behold, they will rush forward speedily.
{5:27} There is no one weak or struggling among them. They will not become drowsy, and they will not sleep. Neither will the belt around their waist be loosened, nor the laces of their boots be broken.
{5:28} Their arrows are sharp, and all their bows are taut. The hoofs of their horses are like flint, and their wheels are like the force of a tempest.
{5:29} Their roaring is like the lion; they will roar like young lions. They will both roar and seize their prey. And they will wrap themselves around it, and there will be no one who can rescue it.
{5:30} And in that day, they will make a noise over it, like the sound of the sea. We will gaze out toward the land, and behold, the darkness of the tribulation, and even the light has been darkened by its gloom.

God has ordained this war to punish the Christian nations for abandoning morality and faith, for accepting grave sins, as if these were good or normal, and for contempt toward the Church and Her teachings.

In my eschatology, here is how the war begins.

Iran (Persia) and Iraq (Media) join together, and they consolidate power in the Arab Muslim nations of the Middle East and northern Africa, so that these two nations rule over that group of nations. The spark that ignites this fire is the announcement that Iran has nuclear bombs. The government of Iran has been pursuing nuclear weapons for many years. And it may well be that they have already, or soon will, complete this program in secret. Announcing that they have nukes will cause the extremists of other nations in the region to want to join with them.

Iran and ISIS will make a pact. Then Iran will assist ISIS in conquering Iraq, so that those two nations are led by extremists. Subsequently, there are coups, revolutions, and small wars in the other nations of that region, so that all are soon led by extremists, all united under Iran and Iraq.

[Daniel]
{8:3} And I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, a single ram stood before the marsh, having two high horns, and one was higher than the other and growing higher still.
{8:4} After this, I saw the ram brandishing his horns against the West, and against the North, and against the Meridian, and all the beasts could not withstand him, nor be freed from his hand, and he did according to his own will, and he became great.
…
{8:19} And he said to me, “I will reveal to you what the future things are in the earlier tribulation, for the time has its end.
{8:20} The ram, which you saw to have horns, is the king of the Medes and Persians.

The ram is this group of nations, and the two horns are the leaders of Iran and Iraq. One horn is higher because one leader has more power than the other (Iran). They attack to the West (the U.S.), the North (into Europe), and the Meridian (toward the equator in Africa).

During the war, the three other horsemen (i.e. sets of events) unfold. The second is severe civil unrest. This affliction is more widespread than the war, in that it happens even in nations not involved in World War 3.

The third is a famine, which will be especially severe in wealthy nations. Expensive goods will be available, while basic necessities like food will be scarce.

The fourth is death from a variety of causes, including disease epidemics, and the fear of death. Yes, the fear of death causes much disruption and harm to society.

The extremists will win World War 3 and will occupy a vast territory for a decade or so, including all, or almost all, of Europe.

How Can They Win?

I’m often asked how those nations can win a war against the West, when we have better military technology. There are a few reasons:
1. There is a revolt inside of the nations of Europe, where many immigrants from the Muslim nations are young, unemployed, and disaffected. The nations are weakened from within.
2. They have nuclear bombs, and subsequently nuclear missiles, and they are willing to use them against cities. The West is not willing to use its nukes in reply.
3. Their populations include many men of military age, who are unemployed, have no career prospects, and who are filled with anger toward the West. They quickly raise a vast army, which rushes into Europe through Turkey.
4. God has ordained that they will win, so they have His providence on their side of the war. God’s purpose is not only to punish the Christian nations for abandoning the true Faith, but also to prepare a vast kingdom that will eventually be handed over to the great Catholic monarch.

They will win: “all the beasts could not withstand him, nor be freed from his hand….”

More Reading: My book on World War 3 and World War 4

by
Ronald L. Conte Jr.
Roman Catholic theologian and translator of the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Bible.

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