The Book of Revelation, Chapter 12

1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And being with child, she cried travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered.
3 And there was seen another sign in heaven: and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns: and on his head seven diadems:
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to be delivered; that, when she should be delivered, he might devour her son.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron rod: and her son was taken up to God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that there they should feed her a thousand two hundred sixty days.
7 And there was a great battle in heaven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels:
8 And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world; and he was cast unto the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of the testimony, and they loved not their lives unto death.
12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth, and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time.
13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman, who brought forth the man child:
14 And there were given to the woman two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the desert unto her place, where she is nourished for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman, water as it were a river; that he might cause her to be carried away by the river.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the river, which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was angry against the woman: and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
18 And he stood upon the sand of the sea.

"A woman": the Church teaches that this phrase means Holy Mother Church and also Our Lady, Who is the Mother of the Church.

"the sun": The Church teaches that this refers to Jesus Christ, the Sun of Justice and the Son of God and of Mary. Jesus is the head of His Church, its radiant Sun.

"the moon under her feet": Again we know from the Church that this is in reference to the changeable things of the world, which are subject to Holy Mother Church, and to Our Lady, the Mediatrix of All Graces.

"the twelve stars": The Twelve Apostles; Our Lady is Queen of the Apostles.

"in labor and pain": the travails of the Church, in persecutions and afflictions. Our Lady of Fatima came to warn us anew of the coming chastisement and to demonstrate the power she has with God and that she was who she said she was, God worked the Miracle of the Sun there.

"for a time and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent": Catholic Biblical scholars who are within the line of Tradition think that this refers to the reign of Antichrist, three and a half years.

This will be a period of such ferocity that Our Lord told his Apostles that when He came back at the end of the world, there would be little faith left, and that even the elect would be sorely tried. Because the Third Secret of Our Lady of Fatima-----we do not mean the false version given out by the Vatican, a part of the chastisement to have perfidious Churchmen in such high places-----actually refers to the last times of the Apocalypse, according to those who have read it and told the truth, including Cardinal Ratzinger early on and who now seems to have abandoned his earlier statements to be in line with the Vatican PR line, we know that God Who is so merciful is once more trying to give mankind another chance and that second chance is Our Lady.

 
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