Medjugorje Warning Signs & Chastisements
By Michael K. Jones

Often Medjugorje USA receives email on the topic of the Medjugorje warning signs and chastisements. It is difficult to address these letters as so little is known about Medjugorje secrets. I write back with the information that has been released but people write back asking my personal opinion. I have tried to avoid my thoughts in addressing these letters as there is no foundation or truth, only speculation. However do the fact I am receiving so many emails on this subject, below is my humble attempt to address these issues for the multitude that is so fascinated by them. I urge caution as opinion or thoughts are not Gospel truth.

I have some reservations about writing on this subject matter because rumors are easily spread. Medjugorje Mir (the official Medjugorje website) has warned us about rumors and sensationalism. Medjugorje Mir has stated that they can not address all the issues that they are asked to respond too. They urge discernment in all information sources and remind us that Medjugorje Mir is the official website for information. Therefore, knowing all these things, keep in mind that the article below are thoughts of the webmaster of Medjugorje USA which I have kicked around in my own head, there is nothing more in this article.

Thank you
Michael, webmaster of Medjugorje USA.

There are prophecies in Scripture that should concern all of us. There are also "modern day prophets" making claim to prophecy. Some of these prophets and visionaries claim they have seen sad events, which will fall upon the world. I have personally found some prophets and visionaries to be consistent with Scripture and others to be out in left field somewhere. The fact remains that prophecy does exist. One example of prophecy is the apparitions of the Virgin Mary to 3 shepherd children in Fatima. The prophecies given the children were laughable during the time of the apparitions in 1917, but from the early-disclosed prophecies on Russia to the most recent release of the "Third secret of Fatima," the prophecies have all come true.

In apparitions such as Medjugorje (currently not under investigation) and Garabandal (declared not supernatural but believed to be under investigation again) the prophecies are quite alarming. It appears God is sending the world a wake up call. I will not go into a lengthy explanation of the warnings and chastisements prophesied at Garabandal and Medjugorje, as many sources are available for those who seek to know more. My personal Bible study since 1984 finds the warnings and chastisements of Garabandal and Medjugorje noteworthy.

I make no claim to be a prophet or visionary. What you are about to read is given to you from my 17 year study. This writing is not conclusions, only thoughts. I have no idea if this article has any merit with theologians, visionaries, prophets’ etc. The warning signs and chastisements given to the Garabandal and Medjugorje visionaries remain a secret, no one knows for sure what will happen except the visionaries themselves.

Finally, though the information below is Apocalyptic in nature, we should never forget that the true image of God is compassionate and merciful. For the faithful who seek out God in their lives and for those who may be converted by future events, there is nothing that should concern us. We should always be at peace knowing we are in the Good Hands of the Living God. Scripture tells us, "The things not possible with men are possible with God," Therefore trust in God!

Mat. 24:15, "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him who reads understand." Luke says, Luke 21-20 "And when you see Jerusalem being surrounded by an army, then you know that her desolation is at hand."

Revelation 3:12, Tells us, "...I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down from my God out of heaven."

So I consider that the abomination of desolation is when the armies have surrounded Jerusalem, the holy place. Then shall come the destruction of Jerusalem, (for those who wish to understand the abomination of desolation read Daniel chapter 9).

The great destruction of Jerusalem shall come that, "...Sin may have an end, iniquity may be abolished, and everlasting justice may be brought and vision and prophecy may be for-filled and the saints of saints may be anointed..." Daniel 9:24. The destruction will take place in the latter days, "But I come to teach you what things shall befall thy people in the latter days." Daniel 10:14.

In Daniel 11:31, we here again here of the abomination of desolation. In verse 36-37, we here of, "A king who will do according to his own will. He will make no account of the God of his fathers: And he shall follow the lust of woman. And he shall not regard any gods. But he will worship the god, Maozim," (the god of forces).

Again in Luke 21:20, "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by an army, then you know that her desolation is at hand." This could easily mean the army of the god called Maozim, the god of forces.

Mat. 24:16-24, "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him who is on the house top not go down to take anything from his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. But wow to those who are with child, or have infants at the breast in those days. But pray that your flight may not be in winter, or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation such has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will be. And unless those days have been shortened, no living creature would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days have been shortened. Then if anyone says to you behold here is the Christ, or there he is, do not believe it. For false Christ's and false prophet's will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible the elect."

That we may know these wolves when they come, let us understand what to look for. Deuternomy 13:1-4, "If a prophet arises... and tells you of signs or wonders and if the signs and wonders take place, and he says, 'Let us follow other gods which you have not known and let us worship them.' You must not listen to the words of that prophet... The Lord your God is testing you to find out if you love Him with all your heart, and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow..."

Deuternomy 13:6-7, "If your very own brother, or son or daughter, or the wife that you love, or you closest friend secretly entices you saying, 'Let us go and worship other gods,' gods that neither you or your fathers have known, gods of the people around you whether near or far, from one end of the land to the other, do not yield to him or listen to him..."

2 Thess. 2:12-15, Verse 9 says, "The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the works of Satan, displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs, and wonders..." (only verse 9 has been written here.)

Revelation 13:13-15, "And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men, because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image of the beast for honor. Who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed." Verses 16-18, brings us to the prophecy in which all are forced to receive the mark of the beast, for without the mark no one will be able to buy or sell.

We continue with Mat. 24:25-28, "Behold I have told it to you before hand. So if anyone says there he is in the desert, do not go, or here he is in the inner room, do not believe it. For as lighting comes from east to west, so will be the coming of the son of man, (Jesus). Wherever there is a carcass, there the eagles will be gathered."

Luke tells us in 17:24, "For the son of man in His day will be like lighting, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other," This is how Jesus will come.

Mat. 24:29, "The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light, the rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light." I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless,"

Isaiah 13:11. "Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger,".

Joel 2:10, "Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and the moon are darkened and the stars no longer shine."

Revelation 9:2-3, "When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke of a gigantic furnace. The sun and the sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss, and out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth..."

Joel 1:4-6, "What the locust swarm has left, the great locusts have eaten; what the great locusts have left the young locusts have eaten; what the young locusts have left other locusts have eaten. Wake up you drunkards and weep! Wail, all you drinkers of wine; wail because of the new wine, (Jesus) for it has been snatched from your lips. A nation has invaded my land, powerful and without number, it has the teeth of a lion, and fangs of a lioness." The destruction of Jerusalem.

Revelation 9:2-3, Again tells us of the opening of the Abyss in which smoke arises causing the sun and the stars to be darkened and from the smoke locusts came down upon the earth. The fact that the sun was shining tells us that the Abyss was opened in the daylight. Yet the stars are darkened as well. Which tells us that the darkness continues into the night. From the Abyss shall come the locusts.

Joel 1:4-6, Again tells us that the locusts have come because these people (Jews) do not speak of the new wine (Jesus), because Joel tells us, these people are drunk with the old wine, (the old testament.) Joel describes the locusts as a powerful nation whose numbers you can not count. They will invade His land, (God's) and will devour like a lion, and a lioness.

In chapter two Joel tells us, "Blow the trumpet in Zion, (Jerusalem) sound the alarm on my holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the great day of the Lord is coming it is close at hand. A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness. Like dawn spreading across the mountain a large and mighty army, such as never was of old, nor ever will be in ages to come. Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste, nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they shall run like horsemen. With noise like that of chariots they leap over mountaintops, like crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. At the sight of them nations are in anguish; every face turns pale.

They shall charge like warriors; they scale walls like soldiers. They march in line, not swerving from their course. They do not jostle each other; each marches straight ahead. They plunge through defenses without breaking rank. They rush upon the city; They run along the walls. They climb into the houses; like thieves through the windows. Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and the moon are darkened and the stars no longer shine."

The prophets of old are giving a very good description of today's missiles, and warheads. First they come from the Abyss or beneath. Their adversaries can not jostle with them because they plunge through defenses as soldiers who have no fear, or as Scripture says, without breaking ranks. They come like the sound of chariots leaping over mountaintops, which causes trembling in the sky. Before them or before they strike, you know their fire devours. Behind them a flame blazes, or the burning of fuel that powers the missiles. Before them the land is like the Garden of Eden, behind them or after they have come, desert waste. At the sight of them nations are in anguish, every face is pale. They shall cause the sun to be darkened and the moon not to give her light, (the burning of the land and fallout.) They will climb the walls and enter the windows as a thief, because their power is like the spreading of dawn across the mountain.

Because of these things shall God come against the nations who are one. Zachariah 14:12, "And this shall be the plague which God shall strike all nations that have fought against Jerusalem, the flesh of everyone shall consume away while they stand on their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth."

In the past few months we have been hearing about a number of miraculous and or unusual stories from pilgrims in Medjugorje. Some feel these occurrences are happening at a greater frequency and may suggest that the warning signs will happen soon. So what do we know for sure about these future predictions?

Medjugorje visionary Mirjana has briefly mentioned the horror of these future chastisements. This would suggest to me that what will happen is of Biblical proportion. Considering the horror of the warning signs and chastisements, adding a future Bibical event, will Israel play a role in some capacity? The current unrest in the Middle East only adds to this thought. Those who have studied the events of Israel, Palestine and Scripture know all to well the seriousness of the problem.

We also know the first warning sign is a regional event. Is it possible that Israel could be the area of the regional event? Could the second warning sign also be about Israel or the result of the unrest in the Middle East? Scripture clearly tells us that God will punish those who destroy Jerusalem, I wonder if this could be the chastisements given the visionaries of Medjugorje? But again it is only my personal speculation.

The visionaries tell us there will be a "Lasting Sign" in Medjugorje. We have heard the whole world will see it, but some visionaries have said that those visiting Medjugorje will see it. This suggests that the media will play a part in reporting the, "Lasting Sign" around the world.

After the "Lasting Sign" the visionaries tell us Our Lady has spoken of chastisements. Prayer and fasting has removed one chastisement but others can not be removed and will happen. The fact remains that only the visionaries know when the warning signs and chastisements will come. Father Petar has been chosen to read and understand the unusual parchment given to Marjana by Our Lady, which contains the warnings and chastisements. After much prayer, fasting and help from Our Lady, Fr. Petar will be able to read the parchment, which is written in an unknown language. 3 days prior to each event, the prophecy of that happening will be revealed. The release of each prophecy will happen in the same manner.

Crunching the numbers has resulted in some personal thoughts of mine, which are pure speculation. My thoughts are as follows: Is it possible that the 3 warning signs are not part of the chastisements? Only the visionaries can answer that and maybe they have. At any rate, it seems to me that 3 chastisements might be removed by prayer and fasting. The 7 remaining chastisements would stand. The number 10 would represent the Commandments of God, by which He is much offended because man has broken them. Could 3 of these chastisements be taken away by prayer in the name of the Holy Trinity? 7 chastisements would stand because Scripture tells us that 777 is the number of perfection. Again this is only a thought kicking around in my head.

Many books were written in speculation of the 3rd Secret of Fatima. Having read some of these books, the theories in most cases had no solid foundation now that we know the true 3rd secret. So again, I ask that you may consider my thoughts in this article as only speculation.

On a personal note I would mention that in 1998, I was in Israel for 4 months living in a Kibbutz of mostly atheists. I did not visit the Holy Land as a tourist but lived in a working community. I have often wondered about the destruction of Jerusalem throughout my years of reading Scripture. I could never quite figure out why this was going to happen until my stay in Israel. There are a number of different religious factions in Israel and Christians are not well liked in the Holy Land. Christians are tolerated because they generate a large income to the economy.

Generally, the State of Israel has become a land of atheists. An example of this is, the State of Israel immediately acknowledges civil marriage but does not recognize a Church wedding. The State of Israel will recognize a Church wedding only when the Church prepares papers after the wedding ceremony and the married couple delivers those papers to the Ministry of Religion, and then to the Ministry of State. It saddens me to say that generally the Holy Land is no longer a place of the chosen of God, but is a nation of atheists. Also because Israel refuses to drink of the, "New Wine," they have rejected the Son of God and as Scripture tells us, no good can come of this. One thing for sure, Scripture tells us Israel will be destroyed, the results of which will bring a "New Jerusalem down from Heaven."

In ending, I would close as I started. For those who are in the living hands of God and for those who are converted we should always remain at peace. Those in the living hands of God, do not do their will but do the will of God. Jesus tells us in Scripture, "I have not come to do my will but the will of My Father." We should always try to become Christ like. So we should always try to do the will of God, and not our will.

St. Teresa of Avila writes, "Whoever makes a habit of prayer should think only of doing everything to conform his will to God’s. Be assured that in this conformity consists the highest perfection we can attain, and those who practice it with the greatest of care will be favored by God’s greatest gift and will make the quickest progress in the interior life. Do not imagine there are other secrets. All our good consists in this."

Scripture tell us that the angels said, "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace to men of good will." Men of good will do not do their will but do the will of God, for only God is Good. So as St. Teresa of Avila tells us, let us make a habit of prayer and conform our will too God’s. Let us pray and fast much that more chastisements may be removed by the mercy of God. Let us remove ourselves from the ways of this world, which are not God’s ways and let us seek out the interior life where the treasures we build our foundation on can not be consumed or stolen. As Scripture tells us, "Do not build up your treasure where the moth consumes and the thief steals, but build up your treasures where the moth does not consume, nor does a thief steal." One thing for sure, regardless of the Medjugorje warning signs and chastisements or any speculation that may surround them, in the end of ends, God’s will be done!

Would you like to read more of our articles on "The Signs of the Times?" Visit  http://www.medjugorjeusa.org/signsign.htm

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