198    The Bible and the Future of the World 

6.   Society is on the eve of the most terrible scourges and of the greatest 

events; one must expect to be ruled with an iron rod and to drink the chalice 

of the wrath of God.  

    These words of the Virgin Mary apply to two periods of time, the Forty 

Years (A.D. 2000 to 2039/2040) and the time of the ten kings and Antichrist 

(25th century). Of these two times, the later will be the more severe. 

7.   May the Vicar of my Son, the sovereign Pontiff Pius IX, no longer leave 

Rome after the year 1859; but may he be firm and generous, may he fight 

with the weapons of faith and love; I will be with him.  

8.   May he be wary of Napoleon; his heart is double, and when he will 

want to be at the same time Pope and emperor, soon God will withdraw 

from him: he is this eagle who, wanting always to raise himself up, will fall 

on the sword which he wanted to use in order to force the peoples to raise 

him up.  

    The Virgin Mary is using Pope Pius IX and Napoleon as examples in 

order to explain about future popes and future evil leaders of the world. 

These words refer both to the time of the Forty Years and the time of the ten 

kings and Antichrist. 

    During the Forty Years, two evil leaders will lead the Arab nations in war 

against Europe (Dan 8:3, 4, 20). They will defeat Europe and rule with an 

iron rod. They will be an instrument of the wrath of God on unfaithful 

Christians. Of the two leaders, one will have more power than the other. 

They will be like Napoleon in always reaching for more power. And like 

Napoleon, they will succeed in war for a time, but later be cast down. 

    The Virgin Mary says that Napoleon's heart is double. One meaning of 

this expression is that his heart is duplicitous; he pretends to be good, when 

in fact he is evil. He is deceitful even within his own heart. Mary also calls 

him double in reference to the two leaders of the Arab nations during the 

Forty Years. These two leaders will rule as if they were one leader with a 

double heart. Napoleon was a foreshadowing of these two leaders. 

    Napoleon and these two leaders of the Arabs are a dim foreshadowing of 

Antichrist. The Antichrist will rule along with a false prophet; these two will 

act as if they were one leader (Rev 13:11 12, 19:20). Thus, the Virgin Mary 

also uses the word double to refer to Antichrist and the false prophet. Just as 

Napoleon wanted to be Pope as well as Emperor, so will Antichrist and the 

false prophet want to be leaders of both the civil and religious powers of the 

world. But Antichrist will not want to be Pope; he will claim to be a god and 

will want to be worshipped as if he were a god (2 Thess 2:4).