2nd Coming of Christ – Fr. Gobbi (part 2)
14 January 1999 10:19
This is the second part (of three) of the talk on the second coming of Christ given by Fr Gobbi in 1996
In the footnote of Rv. 13,11-18 we read: The second beast is described in terms of the false prophets (RV 16, 13; 19,20; 20,10) who accompany the false messiahs (the first beast); MT 24,24; Mk 13,22; 2 Thes 2,9; also Dt 13, 2-4. Christians had either to worship the emperor and his image or to suffer martyrdom. Hence it follows that the false prophet will not be thrown into the sea of burning sulfur only at the end of the world. His power will be taken from him before and not at the end of the world by a coming of the Lord. Because we read in 2 Thes. 2,8: whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill through the breath of His mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of His coming. Therefore, the Lord will appear and return already before the end of the world.
How are the Teachings of the Church?
Dear Brothers, I want to read you some passages of what our present Pope says. We shall then see that we not only concur with the Holy Scriptures, but also with the teachings of the church:
>From a speech of the Pope in Edmonton, Canada, Sept 17, 1984: The God of Peace be with us, here in Canada and everywhere! May justice and peace embrace each other once more (comp. Ps. 84 (85), 10) at the end of the second millennium, which is preparing us for the glorious Second Coming of Christ.
At the large Youth Meeting in Denver, USA, in 1993, the Holy Father said during the Vigil of Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven: Lord Jesus Christ we thank you for Your word: I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly (Jn. 10,10). The young people attending the 8th Youth Festival of the world thank You from their hearts. Maranatha! From this gathering of youth from all over the world here in Cherry Creek State Park in Denver, we cry: Maranatha! “Come, O Lord!” (RV 22,20)
The following day the Pope said to the 500,000 youths: This pilgrimage must continue It must continue in the life of the church, while she is awaiting the third Christian millennium. She must continue as a “new advent,” as a moment of hope and expectation until the Second coming of our Lord in glory ” If we had to wait another 10,000 years for the Second Coming of Our Lord, then we would be stupid if we started already now with preparations for this coming. This invitation of the Pope only makes sense if the Lord comes soon..
And finally the last passage. At the Last Youth Festival in 1995 Manila, the Pope said on January 1, 1995: “God, who has started this work with you Filipinos 400 years ago with others it is more or less centuries may he continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ! (compt. Phil. 1,6). Amen. This is my end and it is my heartfelt wish for you all that this will also be the end on Day of Our Lord, Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear Brothers, you understand what is meant with the words “Day of the Lord”.
We are thus in accordance with the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the church when we believe that the Lord will return in glory on this earth. Surely, we must open ourselves to this new perspective.
The following question was addressed to the Congregation of the Faith some time ago: How are we to understand the Second Coming of Christ in Glory? The Second Coming for the Last Judgement or still on this earth? The answer was as follows: The Church has never taken an official stand on this subject. So one can interpret it one way or the other. I have shown you the reasons why we, according to the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, believe in the second interpretation: The Second Coming of Christ in Glory will take place still on this earth.
Here it is helpful to ask ourselves, which elements and they are so many and very beautiful ones The Second Coming of Christ brings with it. I will enumerate these elements. But first, let me say this:
The Second Coming of Christ, how will it be?
Christ lives in the glory of paradise. When He will return, it will be a beautiful manifestation of His being that is In Glory. Here we reject certain interpretations of some childish and exalted visionaries, who claim: When Jesus will return in glory, then He will appear there (at a certain place), He will live in this or that person . Let us reject that!
When Christ appears in glory, it will be a glorious manifestation of Christ Brothers, let us try to understand that! So what does the Second Coming of Christ mean: Christ is in paradise. He returns because He has already been here in the human nature. He comes again in a relative way because Jesus in His Divinity and, of course, also in His Human nature is already present in the Eucharist. He comes again, as far as He wants to reveal Himself in glory to this world and bring His kingdom upon this world.
In His Second Coming, Christ brings the following elements, which inspire Hope, with Him.
And now Christ will come again in unison with elements, some of which are listed below:
1, Finally, the prayer will be entirely fulfilled, which Jesus taught us to pray the Our Father: Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. All creatures will do God’s Will in a complete way. That is why the kingdom of Divine Will will come on this earth.
2, It will coincide with the Second Pentecost. 3, It
will be the greatest miracle of Divine Mercy or, to say it differently, the triumph of the Merciful Love of Jesus, who will open up a new era for this world, a new civilization in order to finally get to know the civilization of love.
4, Especially, however, the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, through the Second glorious Coming of Christ, will coincide with the coming of the Eucharistic Kingdom of Jesus.
Ad 1: Complete fulfillment of the will of the Eternal Father
Jesus taught us the Our Father sweet Jesus, already for 2000 years we are repeating it! Jesus You taught us, but our prayer was still too weak and has not born the right fruit what have You really taught us that we should as for? Our Father in Heaven, Your name be hallowed be glorified Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done.
Dear brothers, the Father was glorified, when he created the universe.
The demon has blemished his creation through sin. Christ redeems us
through His death on the cross and the way of suffering that is the historical Christ.
The Mystical Christ has to undergo the same way of suffering in order to participate personally with the great gift, which he has received through the redemption.
But I must still add the following: The final victory of Christ over Satan occurred through His resurrection, the final victory of Christ over Satan at his Second Coming in Glory will consist in the complete destruction of the power of Satan over this world, so that this world is able to accept the Kingdom of Christ and will be able to again glorify the Father in a complete way, as it was at the beginning of creation.
Therefore, the Second Coming of Christ will coincide with the greatest possible glorification of the Heavenly Father.
Should the Kingdom of Christ, for which has been prayed for 2000 years not come? It will come for the complete glorification of the Father. When this Kingdom of Christ will come, it will help all creatures to fulfill the will of God in a complete manner
Because the first one, who prevented the complete fulfillment of the Will of God, was satan. What did his victory in this earthly paradise consist of? He seduced our first parents into making a decision, which was against the Will of the Heavenly Father.
You may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, it is only the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, which you may not eat .(Gn. 3,2 and 3). But look, this damned serpent has seduced our first parents. But remain calm, its head will be crushed the Heavenly Father has said, this will happen through their offspring that is Christ in Her, Mary in Christ, the Mother united with Her Son, the Son united with His Mother, therefore, it will also be the Mother, who will crush the head.
Dear Mother (Don Gobbi turns to the statue of Our Lady next to Him), forgive me, I am not pleased that the serpent is here but I am pleased that You crush its head crush it!
Finally, the power of the serpent will be broken, it will be powerless, it will no longer be able to seduce creatures to say no to the Divine Will. The creatures will say YES to the Divine Will of God.
In this complete fulfillment of the Divine Will the creation will be almost transposed into an original state, in a state of a new earthly paradise, in which all creatures say YES to the Divine Will of the Heavenly Father.
Here in Italy, a certain woman named Picaretta, whose beatification is in progress, wrote a great book about Divine Will. Once when I was in Mexico, I was shown passages of the book, which related to so many of the topics about which our book speaks. Let me cite a passage from the book by Picaretta. She says that 2000 years after creation came the Great Flood so that the water would cleanse mankind; and 2000 years later, came the flood of the blood: the redemption; and still 2000 years hence, there will be a flood of fire a spiritual fire, I believe and finally the kingdom of Divine Will will come upon this world, because every creature will fulfill the Divine Will of God in a complete way.
This is what I think, that the Second Coming of Christ in glory will bring this kingdom of Divine Will.
Every creature will fulfill the will of the Father completely and the heavenly Father will be glorified by his children, who will say YES to His Divine Will. Christ will bring His Kingdom, the kingdom of holiness and of humble obedience to the will of the heavenly Father.
The power of satan will be destroyed, although the weakness of the fallen human nature will remain.
It is clear that we will retain our weakened nature even after the Second Coming of Christ in Glory: It is not the weakness of human nature, which is being destroyed, but the power of satan. Until now, he has a strong influence on the weakness of our fallen nature. It is by nature that we being tempted to sin. But today everything is forcing us to sin; the atheistic and pagan environment in which we live, the influence of the mass media, which are almost all centers of evil.
Today the world is the center of evil. The evil has an extremely strong influence, and this is where you have the temptations, seductions and the bad examples, they all want to bring you to a fall. Today the evil enemy is all-powerful. But tomorrow, when his power will be destroyed everything will lead you to do good deeds. So the weakness of human nature remains, but it will be supported to do good; this will be the exact opposite of what is happening today, the opposite of every temptation to do evil.
to be continued…..