Antipope Francis recently appointed 
a notorious proponent of homosexuality
named ‘Fr.’ Timothy Radcliffe as a consultor to 
the ‘Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace.’
Francis also recently sent out a video message
in which he admitted that his teaching was
“perhaps a heresy”, immediately before
he proceeded to teach that heresy
and blatantly deny Catholic dogma.
“And it comes to my mind to say something
that may be foolish,
or perhaps a heresy…”
Francis has also taught that it makes no difference
whether one is Catholic.
He has rejected converting atheists, 
Jews, Protestants, etc.
These and many other actions leave observers
of Rome in our day shocked and amazed
by what is happening there
and by what has happened to what they think is 
the Catholic Church after Vatican II.
However, what multitudes fail to realize 
is that this reaction
is a direct fulfillment of Apocalypse 17:8.
As our videos explain, the Apocalypse prophesies
that the end-times Beast
will be a new version of the pagan Roman Empire.
We are living through the fulfillment 
of that prophecy.
The Beast that Was, and Is Not (i.e. pagan,
anti-Christian Europe under the Roman Empire,
which was eventually replaced by Christian
Europe) has returned in a new form
(i.e. as pagan, anti-Christian Europe 
under the European Union).
The recent same-sex ‘marriage’ of the
Prime Minister of Luxembourg, as well as Ireland’s
embrace of gay ‘marriage’ – two formerly
Catholic countries – are just more clear
examples of Europe’s pagan transformation
in the final days in fulfillment of apocalyptic
prophecy about the Beast returning (i.e. about
pagan Europe under the Roman empire,
which was replaced by the reign of Christ 
and Christian Europe, returning in a new form,
as pagan Europe under the European Union).
St. John’s description of the woman on the
Beast in Apocalypse 17 also precisely matches
the description of the woman Europa 
in Greek mythology.
That’s because his prophecy is about Europe,
politically and religiously,  in the final days.
The Whore of Babylon (i.e. the Vatican II
Counter Church led from Rome in the final days)
is of course a critical component of
the end-times Beast
and represents its spiritual leadership.
That’s why we read in Apocalypse 17:3 that
the Whore sits on top of the Beast.
The Whore (i.e. apostate Rome in the final
days) has led/directed pagan Europe (the Beast)
into its apostasy from Christ and driven its
demonic spiritual transformation.
The Whore (i.e. apostate Rome in the final
days) has also, of course, spread its apostasy
and spiritual fornication to all the nations
of the Earth.
All the nations have drunk 
the wine of her fornication.
The veneration of the image of the pagan Roman
king who claimed to be Lord and God
and brought idolatry into the empire
(i.e. Antipope John Paul II) is another crucial
aspect of the prophesied end-times Beast
that mirrors what happened in 
the pagan Roman Empire.
That’s covered in detail in our videos.
However, in this video I want to draw people’s
attention to the ‘wonder’ the Apocalypse
mentions in regard to the followers of the
Whore of Babylon and the Beast.
We are currently witnessing that prophesied
wonder or amazement in all sections of the Beast.
The actions of Rome after Vatican II have
caused tremendous dismay among ‘conservative’
followers of the Vatican II sect.
The scandals, the modernism, the crackdown
on tradition, the failure to discipline dissidents,
the liturgical revolution, the heresies, the
abandonment of traditional Catholic teaching,
the unbelievable things they see coming from
Francis, etc. have left them astonished, disturbed,
and confused.
They are shocked to see what’s transpiring
in Rome
and what it has spread throughout Europe 
and to the rest of the world.
For example:
“The media doesn’t help at all because
the media is on the other side
and uses the Pope’s words to bash Catholic activists
in America and all over the West…
We have sometimes been shocked 
by things that we have heard.”
This is the dominant reaction of so-called
conservatives in the post-Vatican II period
to what has happened.
They simply can’t explain or understand it.
They are utterly confused and perplexed, and
they don’t know where it’s all headed.
They can only wonder with astonishment 
and amazement, and think:
What in the world is going on?
It’s as if the Catholic Church 
has gone pagan.
Why is this happening?
While I could expand on this point with many
examples of how people are reacting in this way,
it suffices to say that this reaction
is exactly what the Apocalypse refers to
when it prophesies the astonishment / 
wonder / disturbed amazement
that comes upon the followers of 
the Whore of Babylon and the Beast.
It’s exactly what’s referred to in Apocalypse 17:8:
“And the dwellers on earth whose names have
not been written in the book of life
from the foundation of the world shall wonder to
see the beast, because it was and is not
and is to come.”
The word in the Greek in Apocalypse 17:8,
translated in numerous versions as shall wonder,
is thaumasthēsontai (θαυμασθήσονται).
It’s from the verb thaumazo (θαυμάζω),
meaning: I wonder, I marvel.
In Apoc. 17:8, thaumasthēsontai (θαυμασθήσονται)
could also be translated as:
they shall be astonished/amazed.
The verb thaumazo can mean to be extraordinarily
impressed or disturbed by something
(see BDAG, p. 444).
Therefore, thaumazo doesn’t necessarily
signify amazement in a positive way.
It can refer to positive or negative amazement.
In fact, before the angel explained the mystery
to St. John
(i.e. when he had only seen a vision and before he understood the facts involved),
he was also wondering with shock,
astonishment, and disturbed confusion when
he saw allegedly Christian/Catholic Rome in
the final days acting like pagan Rome.
Now to fully understand this, and to truly
recognize how what we’re discussing
is definitely the fulfillment of the prophecy,
one needs to realize that the angel is speaking here from the standpoint of a moment in time
before the end times version of the Beast rises.
The angel takes St. John to the point in time
just before it rises.
That’s why he says that the Beast is “about to rise”.
It is to come.
That point in time, just before the end times
version of the Beast rises,
is said to be when “five” of the kings “are fallen”.
As our videos explain, the kings are the kings
of the Vatican City State,
and the prophecy was strikingly fulfilled because the European Union (the Beast)
rose during the reign of the sixth king of 
the Vatican City State, when five were fallen,
during the reign of John Paul II.
That’s actually when the Beast in its full
form, both politically and religiously, truly rose:
it rose politically as the European
Union, and spiritually with the king in Rome,
John Paul II, claiming to be Lord and God,
just as the pagan king in the Roman Empire did.
Hence, the Beast, the new version of 
the pagan Roman Empire,
truly rose when five of the kings were fallen.
For absolute proof that John Paul II claimed
to be Lord and God throughout his anti-papacy,
starting with his opening homily, see our
video: ‘Saint’ John Paul II Exposed.
Since the angel is speaking from the standpoint
of just before the end times version of the Beast rises,
he says that the Beast is not.
The Beast is not at that moment in time because
the new pagan European Empire
under the European Union has not yet formed.
It is about to form.
At that point in time, therefore, the pagan
Roman Empire Beast was.
It existed in the past, and had been replaced
by Christian Europe.
That’s why the angel says that the Beast
was and is not.
But the angel continues.
He says the Beast that was and is not is going to come.
The Beast is going to come back in a new form,
and when it does, the people shall wonder.
They will be shocked, confused, disturbed,
and astonished
to see what it’s doing in Rome and in Europe.
Now, consider that the pagan Roman Empire
Beast, which dominated the European area in
its time, was simply called Rome.
Even to this day, in books and articles people
refer to the Roman Empire as a whole,
and to the things it did, simply by the name Rome.
Rome built roads, Rome did this, Rome did
that, referring to the Empire as a whole.
The term Rome, therefore, truly represents
both the capital of the Empire
and the empire as a whole.
That’s because the Beast, the empire, was
a Roman one; it was led by Rome.
Hence, it’s absolutely true to say that
the Beast that was, simply put, is pagan Rome.
Understanding that, think of the prophecy
this way:
And the dwellers on earth whose names have
not been written in the book of life from
the foundation of the world shall wonder to
see pagan Rome, because it was and is not
and is to come.
Do you get it?
St. John’s prophecy is about Rome losing
the faith and becoming the seat of the Beast.
The entire prophecy is about what has happened
in Rome after Vatican II
and what we are seeing right now.
That transformation of Rome of course had
ramifications for all of Europe and the world.
When one understands that the prophecy is
about Rome becoming pagan or losing the faith,
one can see why it makes perfect sense that
the people who are following Vatican II Rome,
the Beast that has risen there, are wondering.
They are perplexed, astonished, and shocked,
to see Rome, which they expect to be Catholic,
acting pagan.
That’s the fulfillment of the prophecy.
The entire post-Vatican II confusion and revolution
is referred to in this verse.
Moreover, the prophecy is strikingly accurate
because the wonder or amazement at the Beast
and the Whore is not only present in the ‘conservative’
elements of the Counter Church.
It’s also present in the liberal sections.
For example, those who support 
the homosexual agenda,
who clamor for approval for second ‘marriages,’
etc. are astonished to see
‘Catholic Rome’ now speaking their language.
In fact, basically the entire world (including
the non-Catholic world) is amazed to see what
has happened in Rome and, as a result, in
the ‘Catholic Church’ globally.
Just consider how Elton John, Al Gore, Barack Obama and others
are currently praising the direction 
of Francis and Rome.
They are amazed to find themselves in agreement
with, or in support of, Rome’s message.
In their case, it’s a happy astonishment/amazement.
“Pope Francis is quite an inspiring
figure, really, a phenomenon.
I’ve been startled with the clarity of the
moral force that he embodies.”
Even Protestants are astonished to see allegedly
Catholic Rome rejecting Catholic apologetics,
rejecting the conversion of non-Catholics, etc.
They don’t realize that they are seeing
the prophesied Beast, not the Catholic Church.
The verb thaumazo (I wonder/I marvel) is used
numerous times in the Apocalypse
and in chapter 17 itself.
In the Apocalypse it refers to and encompasses 
both forms of amazement:
the disturbed confusion of the false conservatives 
and the happy astonishment
of the liberals, who are giddy with excitement
that Rome is now speaking their demonic language
and lending support to their wicked agenda.
The disturbed confusion and astonishment of
the false conservatives carries much more significance,
as the false conservatives and
false traditionalists are much more concerned
about spiritual and Catholic matters than
the leftists.
The deception that ensnares and ultimately damns them
represents the true success for the Beast 
and the Whore.
Since the false conservatives and false traditionalists
who follow the Beast and the Whore are unable
to see the truth of the situation with the
eyes of faith, which they would if they accepted
God’s grace and embraced the true positions,
they are at a loss to explain what’s happening.
They are left shocked, bewildered, disturbed,
and confused to see allegedly Catholic Rome
acting like pagan Rome.
They wonder as they follow the Beast.
However, true Catholics in our day, who have
the true faith
and are armed with the proper information, 
don’t wonder.
We realize that Francis is not the pope, 
but an antipope.
We realize that the Vatican II sect is not
the Catholic Church,
but the prophesied Whore of Babylon 
and part of the Beast.
We know why Rome is acting this way.
God’s revelation warned us that in the last
days it would.
Hence, it’s not contrary to indefectibility,
but part of the very deposit of faith
that this would happen.
It’s also extremely important to note that
the noun thauma (θαῦμα)
in Apocalypse 17:6, which is cognate 
with the verb thaumazo (θαυμάζω),
is used in 2 Cor. 11:13-15 in reference
to false apostles,
false ministers or false shepherds of Christ.
That’s more striking evidence that the root
word, as it is used in inspired Scripture,
can convey the astonishment evoked by false
Christian leaders doing wicked things or engaging
in behavior that’s uncharacteristic 
of Christian leadership.
That sense applies extremely well 
to how thaumazo
is used in the Apocalypse and in Apocalypse17:8.
The Whore and the Beast evoke wonder/astonishment
among their followers and the uninformed
because they represent a Counter Church that purports
to hold true Christian/Catholic authority
but does things that are uncharacteristic
of that authority.
It’s extremely interesting that the noun thauma,
which is cognate with the verb thaumazo,
is only used two times in the entire New Testament.
The noun thauma is used in 2 Cor. 11:14 to
specifically refer to the astonishment, shock
or confusion caused by false apostles and
false ministers – by people who actually
represent Satan, pretending to represent Christ.
In this verse thauma conveys the astonishment
or confusion engendered by people
who don’t possess apostolic authority 
or the authority of Christ’s Church
disguised as those who do.
The noun thauma, which, in 2 Cor. 11:14, conveys
the very reaction of shock and confusion
caused by false apostles, is only used one other
time in the New Testament.
It’s used in Apoc. 17:6,
to describe when St. John first saw
the Whore of Babylon.
When he first saw her, he says that he wondered
θαῦμα μέγα (great wonder).
Do you see the connection?
When St. John first saw the whore, he wondered
θαῦμα μέγα (great wonder) because
the end times whore in Rome is the greatest
example in history of what 2 Cor. 11:13-15
(and specifically 13-14) warns about: false
apostles disguised as apostles of Christ,
and the shock, astonishment, and confusion
they will cause.
They pretend to represent Christ and His Church,
but actually represent Satan and a counterfeitChurch.
And when you think of false apostles, think
of, for example, heretical antipopes
falsely posing as having the authority of 
the apostle St. Peter when they don’t.
Thus, you can see why St. John, when he first
saw the Whore, and before the angel gave him
more information about her, wondered 
thauma mega.
He was looking at an organization – an end-times
Counter Church led from Rome – under such
heretical impostors and false apostles.
He was looking at an organization clothed
in the colors and externals of the true Church,
claiming to have apostolic authority (the
authority of the true Church) when it doesn’t.
All of this actually proves that the Catholic
Church is the one true Church,
not a false Church.
The end-times deception is geared toward 
deceiving the followers of the true Church
through the construction of a Counter Church that overtakes the city of Rome
(not the Catholic Church itself) 
in the final days.
For more on these matters, see our video Babylon
Has Fallen, Fallen!! and The Antichrist Identified,
among other things.
So, those who are following Antipope Francis
and the Vatican II sect need to realize: you
are not following the Catholic Church.
You are following the prophesied Beast and the Whore.
Come out of her and embrace the true Catholic
faith, the traditional Catholic faith,
outside of which there is no salvation.
