I need prophecies! Catholic based...

There's the Book of Revelation / Apocalypse of John, which pretty much describes the end of humanity in symbolic terms. One aspect of this is "the Rapture" in which some - allegedly small - number of people are simply removed from earth to heaven, abruptly, without dying, so that they don't have to suffer through the worst of the Apocalypse.

Your scientist could try to make some strange interpretation of that. For example, there are radical Christian groups today, who say that the plague of locusts described in the Book of Revelation is actually an army of Apache attack helicopters, but a man writing 2000 years ago wouldn't have had words for that, so he wrote "locusts."

A bit open to interpretation, but made much of in apocalyptic fiction (really literally in some cases), from the book of Revelation:

"And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouth and devours their enemies. And if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this manner. These have the power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over the waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.

"When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them and kill them. And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our LORD was crucified. Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues and nations will see their dead bodies three and a half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

"Now after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, 'Come up here.' And they ascended to heaven in a could, and their enemies saw them.

"In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.

"The second woe is past. Behold, the third woe is coming quickly."
--Rev. 11:3-14

One thousand, two hundred sixty days is three and a half years; people who subscribed to a literal seven-year-reign by the Antichrist figure this is the first half.

Debut NaNoWriMo Project: "The Icy Fires of Night"
Fully-Formed Principal Characters: Twenty-Five, including the dog
Number of Concepts Rolled Up Into One Plot: Four, including the dog
Number of People Already Dead as of Chapter One: Five

One note about "the Rapture" and Catholics, though...we don't believe in the Rapture. That is more of a fundamentalist Christian belief. Our interpretation of The Book of Revelation is different than theirs.

A couple of good Catholic websites would be http://www.newadvent.org and http://www.newadvent.com There is a wealth of material about all sorts of Catholic subjects there, including texts of various Church Fathers, information on saints and mystics throughout the history of the Church, etc.

Oh, and here is one called http://www.catholicprophecy.org That might be your best source!

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

One note about "the Rapture" and Catholics, though...we don't believe in the Rapture. That is more of a fundamentalist Christian belief. Our interpretation of The Book of Revelation is different than theirs.

A couple of good Catholic websites would be http://www.newadvent.org and http://www.newadvent.com There is a wealth of material about all sorts of Catholic subjects there, including texts of various Church Fathers, information on saints and mystics throughout the history of the Church, etc.

Oh, and here is one called http://www.catholicprophecy.org That might be your best source!

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

There's plenty of fundamentalist Protestants who don't believe in the Rapture, either. The interpretation that has led to the school of thought based on the idea of the Rapture is actually less than 150 years old, according to some Christian studies scholars, and is based on a "vision" that a young girl here in the American South had.

I don't doubt that Catholics have a different interpretation of the book of Revelation than fundamentalist Protestants do, but only because just about every Biblical scholar has a different take on Revelation. The Rapture has absolutely nothing to do with, however, as no mention of it is made anywhere near St. John (the chief passage generally cited for Rapture proponents comes from St. Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians). That's why there are major disagreements between Protestant groups as to where the Rapture fits into the events described in the Revelation; because there's no reference.

Debut NaNoWriMo Project: "The Icy Fires of Night"
Fully-Formed Principal Characters: Twenty-Five, including the dog
Number of Concepts Rolled Up Into One Plot: Four, including the dog
Number of People Already Dead as of Chapter One: Five

The angle of non-traditional interpretation of prophecy still works: Catholics don't interpret a Rapture, so it doesn't occur at once to the MC that such an interpretation might be a key to resolving the crisis. That said, there's plenty of Catholic-friendly prophecy out there as well!

The last site I listed, Catholic Prophecy, deals with a lot of lesser known prophecies dealing with "end times" by saints and mystics, if it's something Catholic friendly you're wanting. I guess it depends on if you're wanting your MC to return to his Catholic roots or to reach out to something else. Mainstream, everyday Catholics in the U.S. aren't really into prophecy, even ones who are practicing Catholics who attend Mass every week, and if your MC is lapsed, he would know even less about it. It would fit, then, for him to come back and start searching, first for well-known Catholic sources, then into some of the more obscure writings. With a nearly 2,000 year history, we have saints and mystics hidden in every corner, some of them fairly well-known and others known only to Church historians and scholars.

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

I have no prophesies for you, but I just have to say that your idea is awesome. I would totally read it if I saw that summary on the back of a book. :)

Beware of any prophecy about people being taken straight up into heaven. It's just not scary enough. I mean, given the choice between that, AIDS or nuclear holocaust, which would you opt for?

So your problem is, where would they have gone? Is there a date after which heaven just shuts down and everybody gets sent straight to hell, or purgatory? And if there is, is there any point in travelling to the future, where the deadline has already passed?

(edit, 1hr later) Maybe something like a Babylonian captivity, only this time not just for Jews but for the whole human race. Only conceivable locations would be extra-terrestrial or subterranean. In scriptures and prophecy this would correspond to heaven and hell, respectively. So maybe a prophecy about people being literally snatched and dragged underground. For centuries this has been read as Satan carrying them off to hell, but your MC could re-interpret it as a race of godless men who live underground and are planning to enslave the overlanders. There's no use searching for them now - they've kept themselves hidden successfully for thousands of years - but an expedition into the future would reveal where they emerge. Of course, the truth is probably completely different, but that doesn't matter, he only needs to motivate people to search.

Thanks for all this help. I'm surprised I got so many replies.

I'll definitely be checking out those websites, the catholicprophecies one looks pretty promising.

He's going to be returning mostly to his Catholic roots, though I'm not against having him interpreting things differently or even 'borrowing' beliefs from other sections of Christianity (or maybe even other religions). I think he would justify this to himself by thinking 'I know the truth, so I know what's right'.

To be honest, I haven't decided what really did happen to all the people and I don't think my MC is ever going to find out. He starts off looking through religious texts in the hope of finding an explanation and ends up looking for things that support the idea he is a prophet and that he can use to convince people to listen to him. StillCrazy had some interesting ideas about people being taken 'underground' I will definitely consider that.

Also, thanks Starfishy, that made me smile.

The only prophacy I can remember that is kinda weird I learned when I was about 10 or so as I watched a history channel program on the end of the world. In it there was a claim that there was some prophacy that there would only be three more popes before the end of the world. I vaugely remember that this had something to do with popal pictures and a curch where they all get painted in where there were only three more spots, but there was a lot more to it.

Also, since this was aired back in the days of John Paul II and now we're on Benedict XVI, there's only two more popes until the end of the world. Also, also, considering that they always seem to elect super old guys to pope (John Paul was actually pretty young to be elected a pope) there's a good chance I'll see both of these 'last popes' in my lifetime. That means I'm going to live through four end of the world theories! Y2K (lame), 666 (I heard the party in Hell was great), 2012 (Mayan end of days), and two more popes! *does a little dance* Half way there, baby!

*****
2007: Miss. Marin

Ah, the Prophecy of the Popes by St. Malachy! Yeah, that's a good one. Supposedly Benedict's successor will be "Peter of Rome" in "the final persecution of the Holy Roman Church," and "when these things are ended, the city of seven hills will be destroyed and the great judge will judge his people."

Debut NaNoWriMo Project: "The Icy Fires of Night"
Fully-Formed Principal Characters: Twenty-Five, including the dog
Number of Concepts Rolled Up Into One Plot: Four, including the dog
Number of People Already Dead as of Chapter One: Five

St. Malachy! Yes! I had forgotten about him. He would be an excellent start for your MC when he starts searching for "answers."

Your story sounds fascinating. :)

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

Great idea for a story! Also go through the Bible and read about the old prophets - Elijah, Elisha, Hosea, Jeremiah, Jonah, and of course Moses. There were others too. Jonah might be a really good character for you to study, as he was a reluctant prophet and tried to flee to another city rather than make a spectacle of himself by delivering the message of doom to Nineveh.

We Jews believe that there are no more prophets today, but Elijah will return in advance of the Messiah's birth. I think Catholics believe this too, although their idea of the Messiah is drastically different from ours. IIRC, Catholics believe that John the Baptist was an incarnation of Elijah (double-check that though). Legend holds that Elijah never died, he was just bodily taken to heaven, so he will be human and very old when he returns to herald the coming of the Messiah. We set a place at the seder table for Elijah at Passover and open the door for him during the service, and Catholics hold Passover seders too, so it might be an interesting scene to have Elijah actually show up and take his seat while everyone freaks out!

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Script Frenzy Participant: Connected (2008)
NaNoWriMo Winner: The Track (2007)

'Fraid not, Kelilah. Elijah barely gets a mention in the Catholic Church, certainly not in connection with the second coming; only two people ever went to heaven without dying: Jesus and his mother; and we don't have Passover seders, just the opposite - our equivalent of Passover is Good Friday, which is a fast day.

Depends on the individual Catholic Church. I've actually taken part in a number of Passover seders, depending on the parish I belonged to at the time. Same with Elijah. I've heard a number of homilies (our version of a sermon) where the priest puts quite an emphasis on Elijah, and I remember either hearing or reading something about Elijah being taken bodily up to heaven. This was in a Catholic setting/book, too. Many priests I know are quick to emphasis our Jewish roots and heritage and the fact that we would not have the Eurcharist today without the Passover seder. Some have even invited local Rabbis in to ensure that we celebrate it in the correct manner.

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

It's a modern trend, though. These are, as you say, individual priests going back to our Jewish roots; it's not any part of traditional Catholicism. I'm just saying it's not the route I'd choose if I wanted to reach a mass audience of Catholics.

You guys are wonderful!

I'd never heard of the Prophecy of the Popes before but it will fit just perfectly into my time frame- the main character estimates the world ends about 30 years into the future, which sounds like a good amount of time for two popes.

Also I really like the idea of Elijah being taken up bodily into heaven. My opening scene shows my main character walking past a very elderly and possibly insane street preacher who is shouting and wailing about the end of days and being largely ignored. It would be great fun to have my MC learn about that particular teaching and believe this man is Elijah returned and go looking for him.

I'm so glad I started this thread! You've given me some great new ideas. Thank you all.

True, it is a modern trend, and it's something that varies from parish to parish. I've found that it's something that happens in the more progressive parishes I've belonged to. The one I'm in right now is downright medieval, though. I wouldn't be surprised to discover a few sedevacanists among the parishioners. And my father-in-law wonders why I think of becoming an Episcopalian sometimes. LOL!

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

The Rapture wouldn't work if it needs to be Catholic-based, through.

It doesn't have to be strictly Catholic based. Though my MC was raised a Catholic and will use their teachings as a starting point, I am happy to have him look outside his own branch of the church for help and inspiration, or to have his own interpretation of texts.
As the book goes on he becomes increasingly distressed and desperate so I can imagine him picking and choosing what works for him. He starts to believe more and more passionately and as a result I can see him twisting traditional interpretations to fit his own ideas.

You know, a really funny thing last night...I turned on the History Channel, and they had on a show about anti-Christ theories throughout the ages, etc. Anyway, they talked about the whole Rapture theory and how it came about. A 19th century British evangelist by the name of Darby came to the U.S., and he had a theory of Dispensationalism. It basically took certain Biblical passages, like those from the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelations, among some others, and put them together, like a jigsaw puzzle, and he created this idea of the Rapture, a time of tribulation, etc. The concept caught on among certain Christian factions in the U.S. like wildfire, and well, as you know, the idea is still alive and well among some groups.

Anyway, I found it interesting, especially in light of your subject. Even though it's not Catholic, you said your MC might be reaching out to other traditions and theories, so Darby (John Nelson Darby) and his theory of Dispensationalism might be something to look at, too.

Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead.
-- Charles Bukowski, From "Betting on the Muse"

My light hearted time travel romance has gone all apocalipty on me (curse you Joss Whedon) so this thread has been very useful to me too. Thank you everyone.

I've participated in a Seder at the Catholic Church where I grew up. At my Catholic high school we spent a semester on the Revelations and the teacher was very clear that is was about symbolism and not to be taken literally.

Hey, does anyone know of an apocaliptic preachers of any religion or time period that have mysterously disappeared?

My light hearted time travel romance has gone all apocalipty on me (curse you Joss Whedon) so this thread has been very useful to me too. Thank you everyone.

I've participated in a Seder at the Catholic Church where I grew up. At my Catholic high school we spent a semester on the Revelations and the teacher was very clear that is was about symbolism and not to be taken literally.

Hey, does anyone know of an apocaliptic preachers of any religion or time period that have mysterously disappeared?

What an awesome idea! Reading this post is fascinating.

I recall in the 1990s there were a LOT of "end of the world" shows on, esp with connections to Nostradamus. He's not religious, but you may want to check him out just for ideas. I remember one tv special showed a map of the U.S. and showed what the U.S. would look like by 2030 when the ice caps melted and areas were flooded. I wish we had taped it!