The Seventh Secret
What: Death from a variety of causes, which is the fourth horseman and the fourth Seal of the Book of Revelation.
When: During the time period of the fourth, fifth, and sixth secrets (i.e. the first, second, and third horsemen/seals); ending about 2018/2019.
Where: Worldwide; however, certain causes of death will be more prevalent in one area and other causes of death in other areas.
Who: Nearly everyone on earth will be in danger of one or another cause of death, to one extent or another; nearly everyone will fear for their lives. Those who live by faith in God might not have fear, but they will nevertheless be in peril; good and bad persons alike will die.
Why: These deaths, and the fear of death for those who escape death at this time, are a punishment from God for sin and for a world which lives as if there were no afterlife. As death and the fear of death swallow the whole world, people will seek consolation in belief in God and belief in heaven.
Introduction
Many devotees of Medjugorje have heard that the seventh secret was taken away due to prayer and sacrifice, but this is not true. This is a misunderstanding, one of several, about the secrets. What was said was this:
“An evil which threatened the world according to the seventh secret, had been eliminated through prayer and fasting.”
The meaning is that one of the several causes of death of the seventh secret has been eliminated, but the other causes of death and the other sufferings (fear of death). This is clear because recently Mary spoke to one of the visionaries of Medjugorje about the seventh secret:
Annual apparition to Ivanka - June 25, 2006 - Our Lady gave the following message:
“Dear children, thank you for having responded to my call. Pray, pray, pray.”
Our Lady was joyful and spoke about the seventh secret.
If the secret had been averted completely, there would be no reason for a message from the Virgin Mary (her only message that year to Ivanka) to discuss it. Also, since the secrets refer to the events predicted in the Book of Revelation, and Sacred Scripture is infallible, none of these events can be entirely eliminated, for Scripture cannot be broken. Any event can be lessened in severity, through prayer and self-denial and works of mercy, but none of these particular predictions can be taken away.
Christ had to suffer because of sin; even Christ, praying in the garden before His Passion, was not able to avoid His suffering. So then, neither can the Church and the world avoid its time of suffering because of sin, not even by means of prayer and repentance. And you know that, even if you are repentant from your sins, there is still temporal punishment due, which may require a temporary stay in Purgatory for its atonement. So then, even if the whole world repents, a severe punishment is still owed, and it shall be paid.
The Seventh Secret in Sacred Scripture
The seventh secret is the fourth horseman and the fourth Seal of the Book of Revelation.
[Revelation 6]
{6:7} And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying: “Draw near and see.”
{6:8} And behold, a pale horse. And he who was sitting upon it, his name was Death, and Hell was following him. And authority was given to him over the four parts of the earth, to destroy by the sword, by famine, and by death, and by the creatures of the earth.
The Fourth Seal is the fourth horseman. This is a set of events resulting from the events of the previous three Seals (war, civil unrest, famine). It is the deaths and fear of death that results from the first three Seals. But it is not death only, for we all die sooner or later. Hell is following Death, because many persons die unrepentant of their sins during this time. And the fear of death is not merely a fear of dying, but a fear of dying and going to Hell. For nearly the whole world will be convinced that God exists and that he is punishing the world for its sins.
Notice that this applies to 'the four parts of the earth.' The four parts refer to the four directions (north, south, east, west). So this Seal affects the whole world. Even though the war which is the first Seal is limited to a particular area of the world, it has a worldwide effect, as do the other Seals.
The phrase 'to destroy by the sword' means that there will be various small wars and uprisings, in various parts of the world, especially in the Southern Hemisphere (as we learn in Zechariah 6). These are not the war of the first Seal (World War 3), but smaller civil wars, local border skirmishes, internal uprisings, and the like. These local conflicts are caused, in large part, by the fear of death.
The phrase 'by famine and by death' means that the great famine, which is the third Seal, eventually results in many deaths. Some of these deaths may be due to lack of nutrition, but other deaths may be due to diseases. Disease takes hold more readily and spreads more easily in persons who are weakened by lack of proper nutrition. The phrase 'by the creatures of the earth' includes the microorganisms which cause disease. It is common knowledge that the combination of war, civil unrest, and famine often results in the spread of various diseases and in many deaths.
[Zechariah 6]
{6:1} And I turned, and I lifted up my eyes and I saw. And behold, four four-horse chariots went out from the middle of two mountains. And the mountains were mountains of brass.
{6:2} In the first chariot were red horses, and in the second chariot were black horses,
{6:3} and in the third chariot were white horses, and in the fourth chariot were speckled horses, and they were strong.
{6:4} And I responded and said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these, my lord?”
{6:5} And the angel answered and said to me, “These are the four winds of heaven, which go forth to stand in the presence of the Sovereign of all the earth.”
{6:6} The one with the black horses was departing into the land of the North, and the white went forth after them, and the speckled went forth towards the land of the South.
{6:7} Yet those who were the most strong, went out, and sought to go and to roam quickly through all the earth. And he said, “Go, walk throughout the earth.” And they walked throughout the earth.
The speckled horses and chariot represent the affliction of the seventh secret (fourth seal). The speckles (variegation) represents the fact that this affliction is a complex set of causes and effects, all related to death and the fear of death. Notice the wording used: “and in the fourth chariot were speckled horses, and they were strong.” This set of afflictions is very effective worldwide. Even though not all die, nearly all are afflicted by the fear of death. Society in general will suffer greatly because of widespread fear of death, so even those who through faith are not afraid will still be afflicted by the effects of this fear on those around them.
The speckled horses and their chariot go forth to the land of the South. This means that the affliction of the seventh secret (fourth seal) is stronger in the Southern Hemisphere. The affliction of World War 3 affects mainly nations in the Northern Hemisphere. But the affliction of the seventh seal is stronger in the Southern Hemisphere. Those nations will have many uprisings, coups, civil war, and small local wars and battles. The main cause of this unrest is the fear of death. Desperate people do desperate things.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
published April 9th, 2007
May God give you grace and peace during the difficult years ahead.
