1 Thessalonians 5
1. But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
2 Thessalonians 2
3. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4. Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6. And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9. Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12. That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
POPE BENEDICT XVI
Pope Benedict waves to crowds in Washington from the popemobile.
Catholic News Service photo
WASHINGTON — Celebrating Mass in a Washington baseball stadium, Pope Benedict urged U.S. Catholics to renew their missionary energy at a time when American society is at a moral crossroads.
The pope warned of "signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society" and said people need the church's message of hope and fidelity to the demands of the Gospel.
He also confronted the question of clerical sexual abuse of minors, acknowledging the damage done to the church and asking all Catholics to help assist those who have been hurt.
The Mass April 17 at a packed Nationals Park was the pope's first major encounter with the Catholic faithful on his six-day visit to Washington and New York.
The liturgy, celebrated on an altar platform in deep center field, was a Mass of the Holy Spirit and featured multiethnic choirs singing in four languages.
The prayer of the faithful was read in English, Tagalog, Korean, Vietnamese, Igbo and Spanish. It included petitions for Pope Benedict and all bishops, for peace in the world, for the safety of those who seek to achieve peace, for children everywhere, for those who suffer, for those who are ill, and for all who have died. The assembly responded to each Mass intention with a trilingual response sung in English, Latin and Spanish.
During the offertory procession, four groups of gift-bearers approached the altar with bread and cruets. One group, from Medley's Neck, Md., included four generations from one family. Students from college campus ministries and area high schools, men and women religious, and four people with disabilities and their companions also carried gifts.
The spirit was evident among the enthusiastic crowd of about 45,000 people, who cheered the 81-year-old pope as he rode through the stadium in his popemobile.
The pope smiled, waved and looked delighted at the panorama of faces and fluttering yellow flags, as the choirs sang English and German versions of "Holy God, We Praise Thy Name."
Anne Murphy, a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Alexandria, Va., remarked on the "spirit of togetherness" the pope's presence had brought.
"I think it's a very exciting opportunity for people throughout the country to witness the kind of spiritual power that (Pope) Benedict brings to the world," she said.
"It's the kind of thing that makes you proud to be a member of the Catholic community and to be here today," she said.
After the pope processed to the altar, he was welcomed by Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, who told him U.S. Catholics looked to him for "renewed inspiration to continue the challenge to make all things new in Christ our hope."
The pope, dressed in red vestments, opened his arms wide in appreciation.
In his homily, the pope said he had come to encourage the church in America to build on its accomplishments and respond to new challenges through an "unceasing missionary outreach."
He invoked a new chapter of the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, saying U.S. Catholics need to give their contemporaries "a convincing account of the hope which inspires them."
"The world needs this witness. Who can deny that the present moment is a crossroads, not only for the church in America but also for society as a whole?" he said.
The pope said that it was a positive thing that global connections were drawing people together today.
"Yet at the same time we see clear signs of a disturbing breakdown in the very foundations of society: signs of alienation, anger and polarization on the part of many of our contemporaries; increased violence; a weakening of the moral sense; a coarsening of social relations; and a growing forgetfulness of God," he said.
This crossroads is also reflected inside the church, he said. He cited the vitality of movements and parish life and increased interest in prayer and Catholic education.
Yet the church faces the "troubling realization" that many of its members, "rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel."
Today's challenges require sound instruction in the faith, especially among the young, he said. But they also call for "cultivating a mindset, an intellectual culture, which is genuinely Catholic" and can bring the Gospel to bear on the urgent issues American society faces, he said.
The pope spoke about sexual abuse by priests for the third time in three days. The evening before, he addressed the bishops; this time, he aimed his comments at the entire U.S. Catholic community. He also spoke about it to journalists on the papal plane from Rome April 15.
"No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention," he said.
He lauded the efforts to deal "honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children -- whom Our Lord loves so deeply and who are our greatest treasure -- can grow up in a safe environment."
"I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do," he said.
The pope said the church's ability to heal wounds and overcome divisions depends in part on the rediscovery of the "liberating power" of the sacrament of penance.
That will help the church in the United States become a "leaven of hope" in society, and take its place in the long story of the church's expansion, he said.
The pope spoke about the past injustices endured by native Americans and by Africans brought forcibly to the country as slaves. But essentially, he said, Americans have always been a people of hope and open to the Christian message.
At the end of his homily, the pope spoke in Spanish, thanking the increasing number of Hispanic Catholics for adding vitality to the church in the United States.
As he was leaving the Mass, Pope Benedict stood on the steps of the first-base dugout for one last wave before proceeding into the tunnel under the stands.
— Catholic News Service
The Washington Times
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Man of Sin is mentioned in 2 Thessalonians 2:3
About Revelation 17
Rev 17:1 And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
Rev 17:2 With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
Rev 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
Rev 17:5 And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.
Rev 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
Rev 17:7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
Rev 17:8 The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
Rev 17:9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:10 And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
Rev 17:11 And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
Rev 17:12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev 17:13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
Rev 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Rev 17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
Rev 17:16 And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
Rev 17:17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
Rev 17:18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.
The angel takes us to a time and place after the deadly wound which was healed in 1929 and just before the seventh king or seventh name ( John Paul I ) since the wound was given in 1798, to the time of Pope Paul VI 1963 to 1978
In 1798 Napoleon seized the governmental powers and territories of Papal Rome and imprisoned the Pope where he remained until his death.
This blow to the head of the Roman Catholic Church (beast) was the deadly wound.
The beast (Roman Catholic Church) that was (in power) and is not (in power) yet is ( in power now ) Rev. 17:8
There are seven kings of the beast (papal names since the wound of 1798)
five are fallen;
one is;
and the other is not yet come and when he cometh he must continue a short space (total years of reign.)
This short space name is: John Paul - John Paul I was pope for one month Pope John Paul II 27 years later --total reign 27 years the shortest of all named Popes.
Seven papal names have been elected since 1798, when Napoleon seized control of papal Rome (the deadly wound)
and the deadly wound was healed on Feb. 11, 1929 with the Lateran Pact Treaties, when power was returned to the church by Mussolini.
The seven kings (or names) of the beast:
Pius
Leo
Gregory
Benedict- (is of the seven, after the short space) ( 7+1= The eighth follows the seventh and has the same name that is of the seven )
John
Paul
John Paul = Short space - 27 years total reign.
And the beast that was (in power), and is not (in power during the period of 1798-1929), even he is the eighth, and is of the seven (names) and goeth into perdition ( Damnation ). The "SON"of damnation, represents the inheritor or, the last of his fathers before him. another way to say this is " THE LAST HEAD OF THE DAMNABLE BEAST".
The 80 year old BENEDICT is the eighth king. Jesus will repay soon - before Pope Benedict dies of old age. He's in his 80's now! Remember the man of sin is also the "Son of Perdition" who is according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 will be destroyed at the coming of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 ......whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming. Jesus is coming soon my friend.
per·di·tion (p
r-d
sh
n) 
