Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:00 Last week we considered the French revolution type of the great apostasy. We took a quick look at that for we can continue to day. Let's quickly consider, uh, three important points. First, uh, please don't think that these two sermons are in any way a complete or comprehensive discussion of important foreshadowings found during this historical period. And not only that, but in my ignorance and may very well focused on more trivial aspects. So that's first. Second, remember that when we're done at best rolling, you'll be left in a more luminous darkness. Prophecy is only completely understood in its fulfillment. A third, the Holy father Benedict 16 told an audience in st Peter's square just a couple Sundays ago, November 18th, that Christians should not be caught up in apocalyptic prophecies and worries about the end of the world. Quote, let us have no fear for the future.
Speaker 0 00:53 Even when appears dark and gloomy. Let us accept Christ invitation to face daily events, trusting in his providential love. Close quote the vicar of Christ so that we have the Holy father saying, you know, don't worry, I'll just paranthetically where we're on this thinking about where you know, one of the great things about mass is it's an official deal. God officially will listen to us here. That's one of the unbelievable things. I mean, maybe we're used to it, but it ought astonish us that he'll actually listen to what we have to ask him. One of the important things you get to ask him for mercy, and I mean you're doing it. I am too, but in the Curio last son, there's two in the beginning of mass. Then that's you're asking God the father. The first three curators is Lord, have mercy. Lord have mercy.
Speaker 0 01:34 Lord have mercy. That's asking God the father and it's Christ. Have mercy. Christ have mercy. Christ have mercy. That's God. The son obviously in Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. You asking God the Holy ghost at the end of mass at the August day, you're saying it in Latin, so the first part's in Greek and then a Latin misery. No bus. You're asking him to have mercy on us for what? Well, if you don't have intentions to give him my intentions, but there's all kinds of intentions. You know my intentions, the Bishop's intentions, the Holy five's intention is your intention. We need him to have mercy. We ought to be lifting the roof off for this. I'm not going to change the words guaranteed. Okay? And it's, it's going to be that same way every Sunday. You gotta be lifting the roof at this cause it's, it's really a serious prayer.
Speaker 0 02:13 St Augustan says he who sings prays twice. Why is that? Because it's because of a greater sacrifice. You know, the breadth of seen as breadth of life. It's like a great word. We're given more of our life when we sing, we're belting it out. Don't worry if you don't sing well, like Chesterton says, anything worth doing is worth doing poorly. We're not worried about that. The thing is, we're praying to God to have mercy on us. So don't, don't sweat that. And I promise you we're not going to change words and we're not gonna change the melody. It's just going to be fixed so you don't have to worry about that part. You should know by heart. It's good and it really helps if you're worried about this or any other things, there's your opportunity, so dogma steal, you'll get it again. Anyway, having said that, when we ended last week, we saw that the revolutionaries had quote left France, France bled, white, ruined and ready to surrender to first savior who should present himself.
Speaker 0 03:04 And so today we'll take a quick look at that man. Remember every time, both in scripture and then we look at the different types when it's fulfilled. First you have an to see this, this great catastrophe in society, and then you have this man of sin, the type of antichrist come in. Okay. Today we'll take a quick look at the man type. The antichrist at the age of 16 he's a Lieutenant in artillery. Age of 20 revolution broke out at 24 it's a general 26 commander in chief of the army, Italy 30 the first council, the French Republic, 35 the emperor, the French, a man who quote became convinced that violence settles everything and nothing can stand against it. As he said, I rained through the fear. I inspire a man who was a greatest military genius to appear since Alexander the great a man who intended to conquer the world and almost did close quote that man, of course, is Napoleon Bonaparte.
Speaker 0 04:06 Napoleon is such a giant figure that this morning we're just going to have to whittle it down. We only have time to briefly consider two features of his personality. We'll consider his religious views and we'll consider his lust for power, so Napoleon's religious views. Although Napoleon was baptized Catholic, he was far from practicing the faith quote. As Lieutenant Napoleon read many of the philosophers of his time, particularly Russell. These studies left him attached to sort of deism and admire the personality, Christ, a stranger to all religious practices and breathing defiance against the priesthood and theocracy. His attitude on the revolution was that of a citizen devoted to the new ideas. Close quote short Polian had the attitude typical of a Freemason of his time. Although it's not clear whether he himself was a free mice or not, he certainly was very closely associated with the lodge.
Speaker 0 05:04 In fact, as emperor, he pointed one of his brothers as a Grandmaster of the grand orient lodge of France. Another one of his blood brothers is a deputy grand master and another of the grand master of the grand orient Westphalia lodge. Here's Napoleon summarizing his own religious beliefs. All religions have been made by men. Worse yet, if I had to choose a religion, the son as a universal giver of life would be my God. Close quote. His attitude as a ruler was that religion was useful as long as it was helpful and tolerant, but it was dangerous if it would lead to extremism or FA fanaticism in spite of his own personal beliefs or maybe we should call him his own personal disbeliefs. Napoleon was far too clever a man to not realize the key role that religion plays in society. As he said, quote, religion is excellent stuff for keeping common people quiet, close quote.
Speaker 0 06:01 In other words, a religion he saw as simply another means of social control that enlightened ruler like himself could manipulate news is necessary to get a clear idea how use that in practice here, a few extracts translated from the Napoleon's proclamation to the Egyptians. You know when he, when he landed in Egypt and conquered quote Oh Egypt actions, you have been told that I've come to this land with intention of eradicating your religion, but that is a clear lie. Do not believe it. I worshiped God. Glory be to him and respect his profit in the great Qur'an. The French also are sincere Muslims. The French entered Rome and destroyed the throne of the pulp. Wood also would always urge Christians to combat Islam. Then they marched to Malta where they expelled the Knights, who claimed that God exalted as he sought of them, that they fight the Muslims closed quote.
Speaker 0 06:51 That's Napoleon. I for Shipt God, glory be to him and pray and respect his prophet and the great cran, the French are also sincere Muslims, the French March to Rome and destroy the thrown in the pulp.dot, dot. That coming from the man who said, if you had to choose a religion, he'd worship the sun as a university giver of life. Just for contrast. Here's a few extracts translated from the points press release to the priests when he invades Northern Italy. So that one was from Egypt. Here's what he says in Italy, quote, persuaded the Catholic religion is the single one able to provide true happiness to a well-ordered society. I assure you that I shall endeavor to protect it and defend it at all times. And by all means, I should consider anyone who makes the least insult to our common religion or to your sacred persons.
Speaker 0 07:38 He's talking to priests as a threat to public priests, P peace, an enemy of the common good and will punish as such, if necessary by death. Close quote, this coming from a man who hates the priesthood and theocracy, a man who also just told the Muslims that he didn't see a Muslim, a man who said if he had to choose a religion, you'd worship the sun. This coming from a man who had just announced it, he's marching to Rome to quote, liberate the people from their long enslavement. Closed quote. In a few minutes, we'll just see how sincere he really was about protecting and defending Catholicism at all times. And by all means, Napoleon's personal secretary explains the technique used by Napoleon quote, his religious tolerance was a natural consequence of his philosophic spirit. Bonaparte's principle was to look upon religions is the work of men, but to respect them everywhere as a powerful engine of government.
Speaker 0 08:34 If Bonaparte spoke to as a Muslim, it was merely in his character of a military and political chief in a Muslim country, in every country, he would have drawn up proclamations and delivered addresses on the same principle in India, he would have been for Ali and Tibet for the Dalai Lama and in China for Confucius close quote, that's Napoleon's private secretary. Napoleon's principle was to look on religions is a work of men, but to respect them everywhere is a powerful engine of government in India who had been for Ali, Tibet, for the Dalai Lama, China for Confucius, we saw in Egypt, he's from Mohammad and Italy. He's further our Lord. It's interesting parenthetically that in the Pope's Lenten retreat earlier this year, the preacher carnal Biffy warned the pulp that the antichrist would be among other things and acumen, NIST Napoleon's relationship with the Jews out of their hand had some interesting differences.
Speaker 0 09:31 After Napoleon had captured Northern Italy, he established a new Republic is modeled on the French Republic, the revolutionary public, and then the new minister of police of the new Republic actually required carnal cheer and Monty soon to become Pope Pius the seventh to suppress the traditional good Friday prayer for the conversion of the unbelieving Drew's pro per fetus. Few days recently we've done the same thing. Unfortunately the Jews still don't have the faith. If we really love them like he's commanded us to do, we'd be increasing our prayers for their conversion, increasing our prayers for our salvation, Israel Shamir, he's a convert from Judaism to Eastern orthodoxy, so he's not quite there yet, but he's getting close comments on this change in the 1960s the Western churches, that's us removed from the liturgy of prayer or Amos at <inaudible>. Let us pray for the faithless Jews that our God and Lord will remove the veil from their hearts so that they too may acknowledge the light of thy truth, which is in our Lord, which is our Lord Jesus Christ and be delivered from their darkness.
Speaker 0 10:38 This prayer was considered anesthetic, although it is a far cry from the Jewish prayer ship hoc Hamata quote, Lord, vent your theory upon going paranthetically going in this case is a derogatory term for us. Lord, vent your fury upon goyim who do not know your name, close quote, but the Jews preserved their preventions. Well, misled and subdued Christians drop their prayer of mercy. Close quote back from Napoleon, the point declared quote, if I govern a nation of Jews, I should reestablish the temple of Solomon. Close. Cool. Of course we know the general opinion of the fathers and doctors is that the antichrist will rebend build a temple and rule the world from Jerusalem. You actually did try to establish a nation of Jews in 1799 while the French troops were in Palestine, Napoleon prepared printed up a proclamation that was supposed to be released once he captured Jerusalem, but Jerusalem didn't fall to the French. Thanks to the British Napoleon's proclamation, which was never issued. Declared the Palestine would be henceforth and independent Jewish state. 1799 in 1807 Napoleon ordered the convocation of the great Sanhedrin. That's the ancient governing body, the chews that had not met since a template been destroyed in 78
Speaker 0 11:55 his book on antichrist, the late great father Augustan layman who, uh, father layman was himself a convert from Judaism. Comments on this event, quote in the great Sanhedrin held in Paris at 1807 they, the Jewish leaders applied to biblical titles exclusively reserved to the Messiah, to Napoleon Napoleon was not of Jewish blood. Close quote, the Jewish estimation of Pauline was summarized in a letter from the Austrian ambassador in Paris to the Austrian foreign minister quote. All Jews look upon Napoleon as their Messiah. Close quote. Now this is a very clear foreshadowing in John five 43 our Lord tells the Jews, I am, come in the name of my father and you receive me. Not if another shall come in his own name him you will receive. Now according to the fathers and doctors, the church, st John Chris system, st Cyril, st Augusta, and the venerable Bede many others, this man, the man whom our Lord States will come in his own name and be accepted by the Messiah, the Jews.
Speaker 0 12:56 This man, his van at Christ. Lust for power. Napoleon is a man of whom the great Catholic historian Dutch war on Carol says in statically quote, in all history, in all history, there's no clear case of an able man consumed by lust for power. Close quote. Napoleon was clear on this. Here's Napoleon power is my mistress. I've worked too hard at her conquest, fill out anyone to take her away from me. I love power, but it is as an artist that I love it. I love it. As a musician, loves his violin to draw it at sounds and chords and harmonies. Close quote, we don't have time to do any more than. Take a quick look at three ways in which Napoleon's lust for power played up. First, just in his portrayal of himself, it's easily easy to see an officially commissioned works of art.
Speaker 0 13:53 Typically, Napoleon is portrayed in the style of ancient Caesars as some sort of emperor God. Typical examples of metal had struck commemorating the capture via unimpressed brick in 1805 on this metal, there's a buck naked classical figure of Hercules standing there. He's got a lion skin draped over his shoulder. He's got one hand on his hip and this other hand resting on his mighty club and on each side there's goddesses kneeling on each side of him holding up the keys to the cities, but he's ignoring them as he passed. Fleet gazes off in the distance. Now the body is Hercules, but the head crown with the Laurel reef is clearly Napoleon, the most blatantly satanic example. This artwork, there's lots of it, but I'll just leave you one more. The most blatantly satanic example, so our work has to be the blast. Miss Mellie had struck commemorating the meeting of the grand cen. Great Sanhedrin on this metal. Moses is kneeling down receiving the 10 commandments, the two tables of the law. Moses is kneeling. They're receiving the two tablets of the law from Napoleon.
Speaker 0 14:56 We see a clear foreshadow in antichrist there who demand to be worse. Does it gut? If a man is so arrogant as to have himself portrayed as God the father and artwork, it's certainly no surprise then that his treatment of our Holy father is almost beyond description. Here's the thumbnail sketch of the second way his lust for power played out. In February, 1798 French troops under Napoleon captured Rome. Now the French government had ordered Napoleon to quote, overthrow the last of the pulps and take the Tiara. That's that crown that the Pope used to wear from the pretended head of the universal church. Close quote. Now in this case, Napoleon sent his commands from afar. He didn't have any desire to personally lead expedition into Rome since. As we've seen, he's clever enough to realize that the common man, he wants them to farm and this sort of action would provoke both the French and Italian common man to oppose his rule.
Speaker 0 15:45 And he already had problems in the Von day and there were uprisings in Italy from the common man. The French declared the pulp deposed and in the middle of the night, five days after they invaded Rome, the French troops throughout the 80 year old pulp. Now he's sick. He's got half paralyzed legs. They take him, throw him into carriage and haul him out of town. They didn't three, three days to clear Tom. He said, I'm not leaving Rome or the or or the church. So they just loaded them up. Then they looted. They started looting everything. As this carriage moves North, they're crowds of people kneeling at the sides of the road waiting for his blessing. The country people called our poor Holy father pies. The six quote, the prisoner of the antichrist, close quote, he was hauled all the way over the Alps into France and one being held in Valencia, France.
Speaker 0 16:32 The Pope died forgiving his captors. His body was embalmed, but a Polian didn't allow him to be buried for months. By this time to pulling it sees power. He sees power complete and total power. In November of 1799 the revolutionaries actually assumed this was the end of the papacy. They called Pope Pius the sixth Pius the sixth the last in the belief that he was the last Pope. They had some kind of snooty remark. Conclave was held in Venice and the new Pope took the name Pius the seventh his crowd of the paper, Mashiach Tiara. That's the crown that the Pope's wore until Paul six put aside, but they had to make it a paper mushy. Why? Because new Orleans troops had stolen the realtor. Anyway. Napoleon recognize that Vatican support for his rule would be to his advantage and he really wanted to make the Pope into sort of his own agent.
Speaker 0 17:22 So he gets a concordat that they negotiated in 1801 in order to reestablish the church in France after the pulpit already signed the concordat. Then Napoleon attaches an appendix with 77 different regulations that the Holy father had already rejected and he publishes it as if the Holy father had, uh, had approved all these things in 1804 under under pressure pies to seven travel to Paris for Napoleon's coronation, Napoleon crowns himself, the French invaded the papal States again in 1808 and this time pirates the seventh ex-communicated Napoleon. Think of the bravery of this Holy father. It's just incredible. There is a cap. Do you have any ex communicates? Napoleon Napoleon had him taken prisoner and hauled off to France and held as a captive for more than six years during his imprisonment. The Pope was subject to such abusive treatment that at one time they had to give him the last rights.
Speaker 0 18:18 They thought that was the end of him. They're dragging him here and there. Sometimes they held them captive and France sometimes in part of Italy. At one point he's kept up day and night, night after night, day after day and brow beaten even by the emperor himself until he fought and he signed a new and worst Concord at which he renounced. When he recovered somewhat from his days condition and all the abuse. By the way, this interesting and his captivity while sing mass and Pentecost, 1811 he went in an ecstasy and levitated up as he seen mass and he's surrounded by the light of glory. The salsa happened when he's hearing mass on the feast of the assumption in 1811 where he's knew how to pray, do, and all of a sudden in front of everybody, he's in this ecstasy and lifted up in the mid air and surrounded by a light of glory.
Speaker 0 19:01 He was also given the gift of miracle, miraculous healing people that he blessed. So he's doing miracles even though he's in captivity and being abused by the, by the emperor. He's uh, he's doing miracles. Anyway, Napoleon actually believed he was going to reduce the pulp to his own servant and made plans to bring the Pope to live permanently in Paris. Brought all the records of the Holy See up to Paris, prepared like a fancy palace for him and he's basically going to be a client. You know the emperors right hand man tell you what to do. Like, like what's happened in the, in the Byzantine empire anyway, given Napoleon's treatment of the Holy father, it's no surprise that his treatment of the church wasn't the same sort of arrogant divine law giver mode. We'll take a quick look at. The third way is powerless played out as emperor Napoleon declared that legislation and teaching that came from the pulp had to have them prove all of the French government, so we're going to vet your stuff for is totally father.
Speaker 0 19:55 He required that galvanism and chances and be taught to seminarians. He posed a single liturgy in all of France. He demanded that all religious magazines and papers be published in just one journal and that could only be published under police surveillance. All this stuff sounds just like communist China. He demanded it. Only one catechism be used for the whole empire, which Napoleon is called quote God's image on earth. Close quote and quote the Lord's anointed. Close quote, the Hebrew word for the annoyed one is the Messiah. The Greek word is the Christ and we shouldn't be surprised to find out the Napoleon wrote those lines himself. St Paul says, the antichrist that he would quote the man of sin, showing himself as if you were God. Close quote. After Napoleon fell, the Pope gave refuge to his family and wrote letters urging leniency and treatment for Napoleon. As for Nepali, the British Navy took him prisoner cause original plan was to drop him off in Philadelphia. Boston, thanks be to God. The British Navy grabbed him and banished him to the most isolated spot on an owner earth Island of st Helena in the South Atlantic and there one of the most deadly enemies the Catholic church has ever faced. Petitioned his former prisoner, Pius the seventh to him, a priest to help him die.
Speaker 0 21:13 The Pope sent a young priest who assisted the fallen empire until his death in May, 1821 it came as a very particular constellation for pies to know from trustworthy accounts, the Napoleon it died of Catholic death. Close quote the mercy God.
Speaker 0 21:31 Before we close, there's one other interesting thing we should take a quick glance at the tide of his glory. Napoleon and arrogantly said, quote, what is the Pope mean by the threat of excommunicating me? So you suppose the arms would fall from the hands of my soldiers close quote. And yet in that terrible suffering brought on by the famine and in the cold during the retreat from Moscow, the arms literally fell from the hands of his soldiers as they staggered along as a campaign in which Napoleon lost more than 500,000 men. It's the greatest military disaster in all history. One more curious event regarding the czar SAR Xander Alexander. The first. This is the czar that fought Napoleon and supported the Holy father and the Catholic church. Quote. I'll just edit out the names cause it's not important. The Czar's aid to camp and personal friend was sent to Rome for the express purpose of discussing with the Pope the conversion of Alexander the first and the return of Russia to Catholicism.
Speaker 0 22:32 While his friend was in Rome, Zar died. But once back at st Petersburg, he learned that the czar had been secretly adjured as CISM slightly before his death close quote and the defeat of Napoleon and bringing peace to this world. It's wracked by apostasy and war. Russia played a key role. There's a type of conversion of Russia and its head. It's an obscure for shadowing in some way with the prophecy of our lady of Fatima, but at best we're only left anymore luminous darkness. Let's close. We've taken a quick look at ruthless emperor God, a man determined to conquer the world and then recognize by choose of his time as the Messiah, a man relentlessly persecuted and try to dominate the church. Your visible head, a man who said of himself, a man such as I am cares little for life of a million men.
Speaker 0 23:31 What I did is immense. What I decided to do and what I projected were still more so I should have conquered the world. What was his legacy quote over 2 million people that died as a direct consequence of Bonaparte's campaigns, many more through poverty and disease and under nourishment. Countless villages have been burned in the past as advancing and retreating armies. Almost every capital in Europe had been occupied. Some like Vianna, Dresden, Berlin, and Madrid. More than once, Moscow had been put to the torch. Copenhagen had been bombarded. The Wars set back the economic life of Europe for a generation and they'd been behaved like beasts and worse. Throughout Europe, the standards of human conduct declined as men and women and their growing children learn to live brutally in human terms. It's devastation was not to find its equal until the totalitarian regimes of Hitler installing in 20th century Europe. Close quote, Napoleon said, a man such as I am cares little for the life of a million men. What I did is immense. What I decided to do and what I projected was still more so I should have conquered the world, but our Lord says, which are the profit of man if he gained the whole world,
Speaker 0 24:57 suffer the loss of his own soul. What exchange Hillman give for his soul?
