Omnium Finis Imminet -- the end of all things is near

5:11-13— "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne […] they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice. […] Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and under the sea, and all that is in them, singing …"

9:3-4— "Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given authority like the authority of the scorpions on the earth. They were told not to damage the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads."

 

9:6— "And in those days people will seek death but will not find it; they will long to die, but death will flee from them."

13:2-4— "And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And the dragon gave it his power and his throne and great authority. One of its heads seemed to have received a death-blow, but its mortal wound had been healed. In amazement the whole earth followed the beast […] and they worshiped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?' "

17:1-5— "Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, 'Come, I will show you the judgment of the great whore who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and with the wine of whose fornication the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk […] The woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations … and on her forehead was written a name, a mystery: 'Babylon the great, mother of whores and of earth's abominations.' "

And finally, most chillingly of all:

12:1-5— "A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out with birth pangs, in the agony of giving birth. Then another portent appeared in heaven: a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. […] Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, so that he might devour her child as soon as it was born. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron."

I was going to end with the words that close the Book of Revelation: "The one who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming soon.' " But to glance at the entertainment news, it looks like He's already here.

Our President:

"I'm going to spend a lot of time on Social Security. I enjoy it. I enjoy taking on the issue. I guess, it's the Mother in me."
—Washington D.C., April 14, 2005

Click here to watch video of the quote.

"I want to thank you for the importance that you've shown for education and literacy."
—Washington, D.C., April 13, 2005

Click here to watch this quote.

Benedict XVI:

Are end times near? Noting that Ratzinger is not a Benedictine but that his choice of papal name is a sign of respect for that order, Jared Olar on Christian blog XCG writes that, "Catholics who go in for the old Prophecy of St. Malachy are hyperventilating that His Holiness has chosen the name 'Benedict.' If the list of Popes from the Prophecy of St. Malachy is legitimate, the current Pope would be the next to last one, cryptically called 'Gloria Olivae,' the Glory of the Olives. Pope 'Gloria Olivae' supposedly will lead the Catholic Church as the final tribulation and persecution of Catholics begins at the hands of the Antichrist."

The Jacksonville, Florida-based writer, Rogers Cadenhead purchased the rights to BenedictXVI.com on April 1 -- more than two-and-a-half weeks before Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger announced that he would assume the papacy under the name of Benedict XVI.

BenedictXVI.com, which takes visitors to Cadenhead's blog, has already begun to receive 100 hits a minute since the new pope was elected, according to Cadenhead. The ads that run down the right side of his blog had brought in $12 by midafternoon Tuesday, he said.

Many visitors to the site have begun to send Cadenhead e-mails -- some of them accusing him of committing a sin by squatting on the domain.