The Three Days of Darkness (Part Four)
One of the most striking features of the prophecies recorded in the Old Testament, is the repeated reference to the devastation that is predicted to occur at the end of the present age. The prophets referred to these times as the “Latter Days” or “End of Days” leading up to the return of the Messiah.
In referring to this time of destruction, these prophets wrote about one event in particular. They called this event “The Day of the Lord”, or even “The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord”. And this has became a recurring theme of Christian prophecy throughout the centuries.
This is what Joel had to say in chapter two of his book of prophecy:
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
“A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations
“The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
“The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come”.
In the verses quoted above, Joel describes events that closely parallel the torments that are described by St. John in chapter eight of his book of Revelation.
“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
“And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
“And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise”.
As we have seen in the previous instalment, there have been two saints who have added to the prophecies recorded in the Old and New Testaments. One of these was Saint Francis of Assisi, while the other was the 20th century Italian saint known as Padre Pio.
For easy reference, the predictions made by these two saints may be summarised as follows:
Summary of the Warning of St Francis
- The time is approaching when there will be great trials and afflictions
- Dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound
- The charity of many will grow cold
- The malice of the wicked will increase
- The devils will have unusual power
- Few Christians will remain who have loyal hearts and perfect charity
- A false Pontiff will arise who is not canonically elected
- He will not be a true pastor, but a DESTROYER
- By his cunning, many will be drawn into error and death
- Scandals will multiply and the Church will be divided
- Those who do not consent to error will suffer injuries and persecution
- Those who choose to obey God rather than man will perish
- By their death they will purchase for themselves eternal life
- Those who are found faithful at the end will receive the crown of life
Summary of Padre Pio’s Warning
The sins of men have multiplied beyond measure: Irreverence in Church, sinful pride committed in sham religious activities, lack of true brotherly love, indecency in dress, especially at summer seasons…The world is filled with iniquity.
The hour of my coming is near. A most dreadful punishment will bear witness to the times. It will begin during a very cold night. The wind will roar. After a time, thunderbolts will be heard.
Soon a more terrible catastrophe shall come upon the entire world, such as never before has been witnessed. This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness!
The wicked shall behold My Divine Heart. There shall be great confusion because of this utter darkness in which the entire earth shall be enveloped, and many, many shall die from fear and despair.
Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place!
Lock all the doors and windows. Let no one go across the yard, even to feed the animals – he who steps outside will perish! Keep your windows well covered. Do not look out. Light a blessed candle, which will suffice for many days. Pray the rosary. Read spiritual books.
Provide yourself with sufficient food. The powers of nature shall be moved, and a rain of fire shall make people tremble with fear. Have courage! I am in the midst of you
Take care of the animals during these days. I am the Creator and Preserver of all animals as well as man. I will preserve the property of the elect, including the animals, for they shall be in need of sustenance afterwards as well.
Do not look during the earthquake, because the anger of God is holy! Jesus does not want us to behold the anger of God, because God’s anger must be contemplated with fear and trembling.
Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire earth.
Satan will triumph! But after three nights, the earthquake and fire will cease. On the following day the sun will shine again. angels will descend from Heaven and will spread the spirit of peace over the earth.
Those who shall fight for My cause shall receive grace from My Divine Heart; and the cry: “WHO IS LIKE UNTO GOD!” shall serve as a means of protection to many. However, many shall burn in the open fields like withered grass! The godless shall be annihilated, so that afterwards the just shall be able to stand afresh.
Be courageous soldiers of Christ! At the return of light, let everyone give thanks to the Holy Trinity for Their protection! The devastation shall be very great! But I, Your God, will have purified the earth. I am with you. Have confidence!
The Prophet Joel
Even though the Hebrew prophet Joel lived almost three thousand years ago, he was not content to merely record the events that would happen during the “last days”. He went even further. He predicted that when the time of the end drew near, others would prophesy as well’
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit”. (Joel 2:28-29)
One of the remarkable features in this modern age of social media, is the ability of anyone with access to the Internet to upload personal videos on any subject that they wish and share their experiences with others. And this applies to prophecy as well.
If you do a search for “the three days of darkness” on Google, it will generate a response of over five hundred and seventy million results, while a similar search on sources like YouTube will produce page after page of people describing their own dreams and visions.
These testimonials come from ordinary men and women – people young and old, male and female, from locations all around the world – yet they all have a remarkable consistency with the words of the prophets of old, as well as with the warnings given by St. Francis and Padre Pio.
To illustrate what I mean, I am including links below with ten testimonials that I have chosen at random. And just as the prophet Joel predicted, some of these are dreams, and some of them are visions.
Five Dreams
See Video # 1: Uploaded to YouTube on July 24, 2018
Summary – Warned not to look or go outside – need to store water – the weather is crazy – constant rain – deep booming sounds coming out of the earth – do not feel fear or anxiety – spread the message to others
See Video # 2: Uploaded to YouTube on April 21, 2017
Summary – Cosmic event – huge cloud of darkness covering the stars – terrible images, especially for the unprepared – do not ignore the signs – intense aurora covering the whole sky – mighty earthquake
See Video # 3: Uploaded to YouTube on July 31, 2014
Summary – Heard a voice asking, “where is your God now?” – then everything just went dark – felt a heavy presence above me – began to pray – woke up – felt like it was a warning – do not doubt God’s presence
See Video # 4: Uploaded to YouTube on October 7, 2018
Summary – Dreamed he was driving – looked up at the sun – lights shot out from the sun – swirling low dark clouds filled the sky – huge beings hovering close to the earth with lightning coming out of their arms – he wasn’t afraid
See Video # 5: Uploaded to YouTube on January 12, 2019
Summary – The three days of darkness will begin in the night when an asteroid hits the earth – stay put wherever you are – do not open your doors – do not look outside – people’s hearts will fail them for fear – the true children of God will be protected
Five Visions
See Video # 1: Uploaded to YouTube on January 19, 2019
Summary – Saw Jesus sitting on a bench overlooking a large city – warned about a “lights-out” event – soon the darkness will be all around – Jesus will send a sign – he will protect those who follow him
See Video # 2: Uploaded to YouTube on January 23, 2019
Summary – Saw a giant meteor hit the earth sending waves spreading out in all directions – demons will be unleashed for a short time on the earth – many will die in fear – evil will prevail for a little while – but the Light of the Lord Jesus will overcome them all.
Shut and lock your doors – do not open them no matter what voice you hear – I see dead people walking the earth like zombies – they are demonic – the weak and feeble will not make it – during this time of darkness there must be fasting and praying -do not have fear but trust in Jesus
See Video # 3: Uploaded to YouTube on October 10, 2013
Summary – Sitting in a classroom – everything went completely black – I knew I would die if I stepped outside – wherever you are, if you call upon the Lord you will be protected
See Video # 4: Uploaded to YouTube on December 9, 2014
Summary – Saw an asteroid hit the earth – huge tsunami and earthquake – then the three days of darkness will begin -this is the time to seek God – repent and pursue the holiness and righteousness
See Video # 5: Uploaded to YouTube on April 13, 2019
Summary – Disturbances in the sky will be the cause of the darkness – pray to be in the right place at the right time – pray for your family members – do not despair or give up hope – I will lead and guide you – you are loved
No one who watches these videos can fail to recognize the sincerity of those who uploaded them, or their conviction that what they have seen and heard is a message from the Divine, in whatever shape or form they consider the Deity to be.
There are those who will be quick to dismiss these testimonies because they lack consistency, or because they happen to conflict with this or that part of the Bible. But in doing so, they miss the most significant point, and that is – why are these things happening? – and why are they happening NOW?
This raises another question. How did Joel, a little-known Hebrew prophet, become the only Old Testament prophet to predict that so many ordinary men and women would have these dreams and visions at this time – and that almost three thousand years ago?
There is also a common thread running through most of these videos, and that is that during the three days of darkness, demonic entities will roam the earth seeking out those whom they can destroy. For that reason, the faithful are urged to lock their doors and not venture outside.
But it is worth pointing out here that neither St. Francis nor Padre Pio referred to demonic entities in their descriptions of events during the three days of darkness. The reason why Padre Pio warned people to stay inside was because the whole world would be immersed in poisonous gas at that time. As he wrote:
“Those who disregard this advice will be killed instantly. The wind will carry with it poisonous gases which will be diffused over the entire earth.
However, this does not mean that these warnings of demonic attacks should be discounted or ignored, for the Bible does refer to a time when supernatural creatures will be unleashed upon the earth. In chapter nine of his book of Revelation, St. John writes:
“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the bottomless pit.
“And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
“And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man”.
But no matter what might actually happen at the time of the three days of darkness, the Christian faithful are urged not to be afraid, because they will be protected in their hour of need. To quote again from the words of Padre Pio:
“Those who hope in Me, and believe in my words, have nothing to fear because I will not forsake them, nor those who spread My message. No harm will come to those who are in the state of grace and who seek My mother’s protection. Have courage! I am in the midst of you”.
And in the words of the prophet Joel:
“And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call”. (Joel 2:32)
And finally, as Jesus himself counselled his disciples shortly before his death:
“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”. (Luke 21:36)
Continued in Part Five
