The Chastisement of Garabandal
Conchita (one of the visionaries of Garabandal) has said that the Chastisement will be due to the direct intervention of God, that is, not due to human action, and not due to natural disaster.
Therefore, the Chastisement prophesied at Garabandal is not any of those particular chastisements from God which are the result of human action and which are mentioned in the book of Revelation as the first Six of the Seven Seals, namely:
1. World War 3 (the first Seal; the fourth secret of Medjugorje)
2. the severe civil unrest and violence (the second Seal; the fifth secret)
3. the great famine (the third Seal; the sixth secret)
4. death from a variety of causes - one cause has been taken away due to prayer (the fourth Seal; the seventh secret)
5. the martyrdom of many Christians (the fifth Seal; the eighth secret)
6. World War 4 - a severe nuclear war (the sixth Seal; the ninth secret)
All of these things are largely the result of sinful human action, under God's Providence. Therefore, none of these things is yet the Chastisement prophesied at Garabandal. These events are all chastisements, but they are not 'The Chastisement.'
Neither can the Chastisement be any of the first four Trumpets of the Seventh Seal, which are the result of human action and of natural disasters, namely:
7-1. pieces of a broken comet which fall to earth (the first Trumpet of the Seventh Seal; part of the tenth secret of Medjugorje)
7-2. one large piece of the same comet that falls into the ocean (the second Trumpet of the Seventh Seal; part of the tenth secret)
7-3. radioactive fallout from World War 4, which had mostly fallen already, but which is then stirred up and lifted up into the atmosphere by the falling pieces of the comet and by the one large piece of the comet, so that it falls again, this time to a much more widespread area, (all of which is the third Trumpet of the Seventh Seal; part of the tenth secret)
7-4. nuclear winter, which is caused by the nuclear war, and also by the extremely large number of fires caused by the falling pieces of the comet, and also by the one piece of a comet that fell into the ocean, and so lifted up fine particles into the atmosphere, thus all together reducing the light that reaches the earth causing a year-round winter, (which is the fourth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal; part of the tenth secret)
All of these things are attributable to human acts and their consequences, and/or to nature. Therefore, none of these things is yet the Chastisement prophesied at Garabandal. These events are all chastisements, but they are not The Chastisement. Also, it is said that when the visionaries of Garabandal were shown the Chastisement, they screamed out of fear; therefore, it is not a complex series of events, but one event.
7-5. Now let us consider the fifth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal (also part of the tenth secret of Medjugorje). This fifth Trumpet is perhaps due neither to human action, nor to natural disaster. It is described this way by Sacred Scripture (CPDV):
[Revelation 9]
{9:1} And the fifth Angel sounded the trumpet. And I saw upon the earth, a star that had fallen from heaven, and the key to the well of the abyss was given to him.
{9:2} And he opened the well of the abyss. And the smoke of the well ascended, like the smoke of a great furnace. And the sun and the air were obscured by the smoke of the well.
{9:3} And locusts went forth from the smoke of the well into the earth. And power was given to them, like the power that the scorpions of the earth have.
{9:4} And it was commanded of them that they must not harm the plants of the earth, nor anything green, nor any tree, but only those men who do not have the Seal of God upon their foreheads.
{9:5} And it was given to them that they would not kill them, but that they would torture them for five months. And their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when he strikes a man.
{9:6} And in those days, men will seek death and they will not find it. And they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.
{9:7} And the likenesses of the locusts resembled horses prepared for battle. And upon their heads were something like crowns similar to gold. And their faces were like the faces of men.
{9:8} And they had hair like the hair of women. And their teeth were like the teeth of lions.
{9:9} And they had breastplates like iron breastplates. And the noise of their wings was like the noise of many running horses, rushing to battle.
{9:10} And they had tails similar to scorpions. And there were stingers in their tails, and these had the power to harm men for five months.
{9:11} And they had over them a king, the Angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Doom; in Greek, Destroyer; in Latin, Exterminator.
Notice the unmistakable supernatural elements to this affliction. The affliction comes from the 'well of the abyss,' not from nature or mankind. The locusts do not eat plants, and they sting like scorpions, and they distinguish between those who have the Seal of the Living God (given out by Angels near or at the end of World War 4), and those who do not. The further description of this locust-like affliction makes it clear that this is not natural and is not man-made.
However, this suffering for the world is not the worst suffering of the first part of the tribulation. The locusts of this affliction do not kill. Many persons have the Seal of the Living God and so do not suffer from this affliction at all. Furthermore, this is not the last affliction for this particular time period and generation. Therefore, for all of these reasons, this chastisement is not The Chastisement prophesied at Garabandal.
Now the sixth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal (also part of the tenth secret of Medjugorje) is the last affliction for this generation. Then the seventh Trumpet is the last Trumpet of the Seventh Seal, which is the last of the Seals. This Trumpet is a set of events divided into the Seven Bowls of God's Wrath. However, all of these events of the Seventh Trumpet are reserved for the distant future, for the end of the Antichrist's reign, in the 25th century.
7-6. So the sixth Trumpet is the last great affliction for this generation.
The sixth Trumpet is that event often called The Three Days of Darkness. During this event one third of the human race will be killed; the number killed is about one third of the human race, in other words, approximately one third of those persons who have survived all the previous severe afflictions will be killed in those three days. Those previous afflictions combined, which will have occurred over a period of about 30 years, will have killed about another one third of the human race. Thus, by the end of the three days of darkness, the world population will be reduced by two-thirds, to about one-third of the number prior to the tribulation.
Notice that in three days time, about the same percentage of the world population is killed as in the previous 30 or so years. The severity of the three days of darkness is not to be underestimated.
{9:18} And one third part of men were slain by these three afflictions….
This affliction is not the result of human action, nor is it the result of any natural disaster. This affliction is the result of an act of God's Mercy and Justice, whereby He sends out His angels to kill one third of the human race. This affliction, called the Three Days of Darkness, also called the sixth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal, is The Chastisement prophesied at Garabandal.
See my article: The Three Days of Darkness in Sacred Scripture
http://www.catholicplanet.com/future/three-days-darkness.htm
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
published April 9th, 2007
May God give you grace and peace during the difficult years ahead.
