#5—St. Pope Gregory the Great’s Prophecy of the End Times Church
The purpose of The Katechōn is to present a new universal theory of history informed by the pure fountain of Sacred Scripture, the Church Fathers, the Saints, and the teaching of the Church that can help us have eyes to see and ears to hear in the midst of these apocalyptic times.
St. Pope Gregory the Great is one of the greatest churchman who ever lived. He bears four marks by which we know his observations can and must be seriously considered: he was a saint, a pope, a Doctor of the Church, and a Church Father.
One of his greatest works is Moralia in Job, which was his commentary on the book of Job—a massive tome about the size of St. Augustine’s City of God and Confessions, combined. St. Thomas Aquinas observed that this commentary was so excellent with respect to the mystical sense (the highest lens by which Scripture is interpreted) that the Angelic Doctor confined himself to the moral sense.
What is fascinating about the Moralia is how eschatological it is with respect to Job. St. Gregory drew many insights on the end of days from a book many do not commonly associate with it—and his insights are truly fascinating, if not ominous.
One book in particular, Book 34, specifically focuses on the end of the world, and contains several passages that are, to say the least, striking, especially in light of our present circumstances. In multiple places, we find support for our own reading of Scripture when St. Gregory explains his belief that Satan was bound by the Passion of Our Lord, that the reign of the Church is the “thousand years” referred to in Apocalypse 20, and that closer to the end of days he will be released and wreak havoc like never before. This aligns with the interpretation we have proposed.
At the beginning of the book, St. Gregory explains his overall view of the end of the world[1]:
For we learn more quickly of what kind is the end of the world, if we carefully consider that which we bear about us from the world. For our age flourishes more vigorously in our youthful years, but in the time of old age it is shriveled up by increasing diseases, and while its existence is extended to greater length, instead of dying it daily fails every moment of its life. So also as the duration of the world increases in years, it suffers under increasing evils, and it feels the loss of its health, as it obtains increase of age. For its tribulations increase together with its years, and it endures with greater weakness the losses of life, the more it lasts on, as it were, to a more advanced age. For the ancient enemy is let loose against it with all his strength, who, although he has already perished, as having lost the happiness of his heavenly condition, is yet at that time more fully extinguished, when he is deprived of his permission to tempt, and is fast bound in eternal fires. He is about, accordingly, to assail the ends of the world with severe temptations, because he becomes more raging in his cruelty, the nearer he perceives himself to punishment. For he considers that he is just about to lose his privilege of most fatal liberty. And the more he is confined by the shortness of the time, the more does he spread forth with multiplicity of cruelty, as is said of him by the voice of the angel to John; 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. [Apoc. 12:12] He then spreads himself forth into the fury of great wrath, in order that he, who could not remain in his state of happiness, may not fall into the pit of his damnation with a few only. He then searches out with greater craft whatever power of iniquity he has gotten, he then exalts more highly his neck of pride, and by means of that accursed man whom he wears [Antichrist], displays for the purpose of evil, all the temporal power he possesses.
St. Gregory observes elsewhere that, “For all his haughty pride, all his crafty machinations, he [Satan] prosecutes at that time by the strength also of secular power.”[2] This aligns with the view of history we have proposed, and especially with our view that the Great Apostasy involves the defection of temporal powers from their previous allegiance to Christ the King. (See, for example, Katechōn #1, and Katechōn #4).
But what was particularly chilling was his “prophecy” about the state of the Church just prior to the appearance of Antichrist, based on his reading of the book of Job[3]:
For by the awful course of the secret dispensation [God allowing evil to grow until the end times], before this Leviathan [Antichrist] appears in that accursed man whom he assumes [Antichrist], signs of power are withdrawn from Holy Church. For prophecy is hidden, the grace of healings is taken away, the power of longer abstinences is weakened, the words of doctrine are silent, the prodigies of miracles are removed. And though the heavenly dispensation does not entirely withdraw them, yet it does not manifest them openly and in manifold ways as in former times. And this is so caused by a wonderful dispensation, in order that the Divine mercy and justice may be fulfilled together by one and the same means. For when Holy Church appears as if she were more abject, on the withdrawal of signs of power, both the reward of the good increases, who reverence her for the hope of heavenly things, and not on account of present signs; and the mind of the wicked is the more quickly displayed against her, who neglect to pursue the invisible things which she promises, when they are not constrained by visible signs. When therefore the humility of the faithful is deprived of the manifold manifestation of wonders, by the terrible judgment of the secret dispensation, there is heaped up more abundant mercy for the good, and just anger for the evil, by the same means. Because these signs of power cease, in great measure, in Holy Church, before this Leviathan manifestly and visibly comes, it is now rightly said, “Want will go before his face.”
In short, St. Pope Gregory the Great predicts the Church will be severely weakened prior to the unveiling of Antichrist. There will be fewer miracles, fewer prophetic voices, its penance will be less fruitful, and “the words of doctrine” will fall silent.
But, as he explains, this is all under the providence of God, who, as St. Paul makes clear in 2 Thessalonians 2 (see Katechōn #3) sends Antichrist as a punishment against “those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thess. 2:10)
For those who persevere in love of God, such punishment cannot but be for their good, as indeed their perseverance will be rewarded by the return of Our Lord in glory, who will bestow on them even greater rewards for their having believed without seeing.