In my humble and pious opinion as a faithful Roman Catholic theologian, the claimed private revelations to Josyp Terelya (www.josypterelya.com) are not true private revelations from Heaven. A list of reasons and examples follows.
Introduction: Josyp Terelya spent many years in prison in the former Soviet Union. He suffered for many years in prison because of his belief in the Catholic Faith. However, these facts do not tell us whether his claimed private revelation is true or false. A claimed revelation must be evaluated on its own merits, not based on how much the person claiming to receive it has suffered. Almost all true and false private revelations make a claim as to the holiness and suffering (of one kind or another) of their alleged visionary, seer, or locutionist. This claim cannot be the basis for approval or disapproval of a claimed revelation, because it is common to both true and false private revelations.
- He claims to have predicted the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center
Several other clearly false private revelations also make the same false claim. No other private revelation, which is known to be a true private revelation, makes this claim. The messages which supposedly predict the 9/11 attack are, like other predictions in false private revelation, vague suggestions, not specific predictions.
He claims to have predicted the 9/11 attack, yet:
a. The private revelation given to him on 9/11 (at about 1:10 a.m.) does not mention New York or the World Trade Centers or terrorists or planes or any other specifics, not did it say that anything would happen on that same day. It is a vague message, only later interpreted as 'predicting' the 9/11 attack.
b. The message on 9/11 asks him to look up verses in the Koran and the Bible (as if the two books were equal), and that message emphasized the number 11.
c. Only after the event of 9/11 does he receive messages discussing the specifics of that event.
Here is a link to that message (http://users.skynet.be/courlisius/sept11.html).
First, he says that he returned from Marmora Canada (a place of false private revelations) in the evening of Sept. 10, 2001. Then he says that he received a private revelation after midnight, at “1:10 p.m.” (but this should be a.m., since it was after midnight). Therefore, the date and time of this message was 1:10 a.m. on September 11, 2001.
This message is supposedly from the Archangel Gabriel, who instructs Josyp to read the Koran:
“Take the Koran, and read the eleventh Sura, verse eleven.”
True private revelations have been given to many holy persons throughout the history of the Church; never (to my knowledge) has Heaven instructed any Christian, through a private revelation, to read the Koran. The angel continues:
“Pray for the Jews in the megalopolis, for they intend upon a great sin; the Lord shall punish them for evil and the godless among them for their transgressions. Take the Prophet Jeremiah and read chapter 1 v. 13”
Notice that the Koran is read first, and then the Bible, as if those two books were equal. Also, this message has a kind of conspiracy theory attitude that is common in false private revelation. This message is supposedly predicting the 9/11 disaster, but no faithful and reasonable Christian would conclude that this attack occurred as a punishment from God against Jews in the city who intended to sin. Yet that is what this message clearly implies.
That is the extent of the message. There is no mention of terrorists or terrorism or planes or hijacking or buildings or New York (unless you count the vague term 'megalopolis'). Nor does the message actually say that anything bad will happen on that same day. This is one trick that false private revelations use to pretend to predict the future. They offer vague messages which are later reinterpreted to fit a specific event.
Now here is the bizarre and unchristian comments of Josyp about this message on September 11:
The tragedy that was planned by Satan took place on the 254th day of the year; set up the ciphers in order 2 + 5 + 4 and you have eleven and from the act of terror to the end of the year you have 111 days. This event took place on the 11th of September, that is 9 (month) + 1+1 = eleven. The first plane crashed into the tower, flying on flight number 11. There were 92 passengers on board: 9+2=eleven. The second plane was carrying 65 passengers: 6+5=eleven.
***Henry Hudson discovered the island of Manhattan on September 11.
***The word Afghanistan is eleven letters.
*** The number 11 in the occult expresses shock energy. It is the number of offering sacrifices. In Islam the number 11 in the Sufi tradition, symbolizes the sacrifice of the oneself or burning of oneself. It represents revenge according to the system of the godless.
The number 11 (eleven) is the numerical symbol of the hidden name of Allah. This is revenge not for an individual wrong, but revenge in a system that is against God for specific wrongs. All is from God.
This kind of thinking is superstitious, over-emphasizing numerology, as if God was confined to act according to some odd coincidences in numbers. No true private revelations display this kind of superstitions about numbers.
- The Influence of Fallen Angels
Most false private revelations, including these messages to Josyp, come from fallen angels. But since the evil act against the United States on September 11th of 2001 was probably influenced by fallen angels, why are then unable to predict such events in advance? The message to Josyp only hints that something bad might happen on the 11th. The reason is that fallen angels do not know the future, and they cannot be certain that an evil act which is planned, which then influenced and know about, will actually occur. The act might be delayed, or it might fail. The fallen angels involved in influencing this terrorist act had no idea that it would succeed so well, even at 1:10 a.m. on that same day. That is why false private revelations only make vague suggestions about the future, speaking in generalities. They do not know the future.
They refer the alleged visionary to read various verses in the Bible, so that they can make vague suggestions and yet seem above reproach. So they avoid actually stating what will or will not happen, and they avoid criticism because they are referring to Bible verses. This approach is not unusual in false private revelations.
- False Claim that the Antichrist is in the World Today
One of the most common features of false private revelation is the claim that the Antichrist is in the world today. None of the true private revelations make this claim. Josyp's messages claim that the Antichrist is in the world today. See my article: The Antichrist is Not in the World Today (http://www.catholicplanet.com/future/antichrist-timeline.htm)
Messages via Josyp Terelya, Monday, October 21, 2002
“Mary Said: Our Son, The times have come which St. John had foretold.... The devil has seated himself on his throne, his altar. And he has now become the opponent of all good initiative. The antichrist has assumed total control over all human activity, possessing, as he does the might and power of his father, satan. The evil spirits are leading the apostates into lawlessness and incredulity. The antichrist Is working actively through these evil spirits on the mind of man, conscious and subconscious. As a result man is led to commit yet greater crimes that distance him from Truth.”
Also included in these claims about the Antichrist is the conspiracy theory that 'masons' are plotting evil plans against the Church. The masons and freemasons were a problem for the Church centuries ago; they were a social and political group that sought power. But there are few masons in the world today and they have little influence. False private revelations often make various kinds of claims, intended to provoke distrust and increase fears, which take the form of one or another conspiracy theory. An example is this message:
Messages via Josyp Terelya, Monday, October 21, 2002
Mary: “My children, as never before the servants of satan, the masons, are becoming active in their subversive efforts against the Church, the family and the nations of the world. The father of the masons - the antichrist - stands over them. A liar and a thief from age to age. Having infiltrated the Church, the servants of the devil and the lawless one, have begun to eliminate actively from Christian prayers the invocations of the Archangel St. Michael, who is the patron of the Catholic Church.... The antichrist has ordered his evil spirits, the masons, to undermine the authority of priests, comparing them to ordinary people.”
In truth, the Antichrist is not in the world today, the masons were a problem in the past but not today, and the Virgin Mary does not speak in the manner found in these messages. The same message continues:
“The antichrist is clamoring to forbid kneeling during the reception of Holy Communion, as though the spirit of democracy required this.... At the same time the satanists in the world are rapidly trying to destroy the economy and business. These are the panic signs of the antichrist.... There are many church organizations under the control of satan and they are not, in fact, defending the Church. Groups of somnolent Catholics are seeking to paralyze the spreading of truth about the antichrist. This is why the masons will ignore and persecute those visionaries that denounce satan and the works of the devil. Those will become renowned who present primitive visionary accounts about the activity of the antichrist, and will nowhere speak of the threat to mankind because of the large number of degenerates, that are struggling to the top for power over people.”
The Antichrist is not in the world today. And when he does arrive, in the distant future, he will not be concerned with “forbid kneeling during the reception of Holy Communion.” If this were all the harm that he did, he would not be the Antichrist. Instead, he will try to destroy the Church entirely. And again, the claims about Satanists and the Antichrist trying to destroy the economy, or taking control of church organizations, is a conspiracy theory type of message which is characteristic of false private revelation and is not found in true private revelation. And again, this type of thinking is not from Mary or from Heaven.
- He claims that earthquakes will cause California to sink into the ocean
False private revelations commonly predict natural disasters, because such disasters occur every year, somewhere, and because such disasters occur again and again is specific regions (such as in earthquake prone regions). However, on occasion, a false private revelation will exaggerate a claim of a future natural disaster, so as to better promote fear and uncertainty.
In this case, predicting earthquakes in California is not so much a prediction as a statement of fact: California is prone to earthquakes. Small earthquakes occur every year there. Then the prediction exaggerates this statement by claiming that the entire State will sink into the ocean due to earthquakes. This idea has been around for some time in popular thought: but only as a humorous commentary on the prevalence of earthquakes in that State. No reasonable person actually believes that such an event is possible. Californians often talk about 'the big one,' meaning a very big earthquake that might cause a great deal of damage and loss of life. But the idea that the entire State could sink into the ocean as a result of earthquakes contradicts reason.
Such exaggerated claims are indicative of false private revelation.
- Uncertainty and Lack of Knowledge about the Future
True private revelations can reveal details about future events because God knows the entire future with absolute certainty. False private revelations contain uncertainty about future events and make only vague or generalized claims about the future.
Josyp has claimed that there will be a great war, unless there is a radical conversion in the war: “It will be within the next thirty years, but it could also come even at the end of this year.” Notice the extreme uncertainty about the future in this claim. First, there may or may not be a war, depending on 'radical' conversion, whatever that might mean. Second, if there is a war, he claims, it could occur soon or anytime in the next thirty years. This prediction has all of the characteristics of false private revelation. It predicts something that is very likely in any case, since wars occur from time to time in the course of human events; and it says that it might not happen, if there are conversions. The author of these messages shows no knowledge of the future at all. Therefore, the author of these messages is not God.
- Josyp Terelya Associates with False Visionaries
He makes visits to Marmora Canada and to the so-called Missionaries of Holy Love (both on my list of false private revelations). He associates himself with Christina Gallagher of Achill, Ireland and with Julia Kim of Naju, South Korea, two other false visionaries. He attends speaking engagements with John Leary and Carol Ameche, two other false visionaries.
- He claims that Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces
In the true private revelations, Mary only calls herself 'Mediatrix' or 'Mediatrix of Grace.' In truth, Mary is not the Mediatrix of those graces given from Christ's Divine Nature to His human nature. There is no mediator within the hypostatic union. Also, Mary is not the Mediatrix of graces which she herself receives (in which case she is the recipient), for no one can be a mediator in their own case.
- Predictions of Bad Weather and Natural Disasters
In addition to the absurd earthquake prediction mentioned above, there are predictions of various natural disasters. False private revelations often predicts bad weather, natural disasters, along with vague predictions of war and disease, because these things commonly happen in the course of human events. Then when any such thing happens, at any time in any place, they can claim a fulfillment of prophecy. Here is an example of such a message to Josyp:
August 29, 2005
Mary: “Peace be with you, My child! I have come to bring another warning to My children. The warnings given before and many times, have gone unheeded by most souls. Have the natural disasters and illnesses that have come upon mankind not been enough for all to open their eyes as well as their souls? No, for the warnings are not taken seriously!
However, many will experience the terrible fate that awaits many. In North America (USA and Canada especially) there will occur many earthquakes, hurricanes and sicknesses. In your beloved Toronto, there will be a sudden outbreak of virus that will cause great sickness and death, especially among the elderly and the very young. Soon panic and fear will grip the hearts of My poor children.
Many will turn back to God, as they have in past times when tribulation had occurred, but many only for a short time. In the USA, even more disasters will take place. Great outbreak of sickness will overtake many areas. Like in Canada, extreme amounts of snow and rain will fall causing great flooding and destruction.”
Notice that no knowledge of future events was needed at all in order to write this message. hurricanes occur every year in the U.S., and earthquakes of varying magnitudes are common. Illnesses of various types are still common in the world, despite modern medicine. And the prediction of snow and rain and flooding is, again, something that happens every year. This message encourages fear and show no knowledge of the future, therefore, it is not from Heaven.
- Attempt to Establish New Devotions
It is a curious feature commonly found among false private revelations that they try to establish new devotions within the Church. This is perhaps due to the desire by fallen angels to have power over the Church.
August 29, 2005
“For all who will, a one day fast for peace and unity among mankind will turn Satan away from your door. This fast will take place every third Saturday of the month, beginning in December 2005. The Sorrowful mysteries along with the chaplet of divine mercy are to be prayed with great conviction. Seven Candles are to be lit upon an altar, four red and three whites (white in the center of the altar).”
Notice that in this description of the proposed devotion (supposedly the words of Mary), God, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary are not mentioned. The only person mentioned is Satan.
- Worldly language, unbefitting of Jesus and Mary
This quote is supposedly the Virgin Mary speaking:
November 20,2005
Look, love for the Devil is homoeroticism. Their god is the Antichrist. Their altar is Tibet. Their angels are the fallen angels. Their priests: from thee race of snake. Their ideas: nirvana of the new age. Their concepts: karma and change of body. You are surrounded by one illusion. You read horoscopes. You believe in re-incarnation and you drink from a tainted water.
This is not the kind of language that Jesus or Mary use.
- False Predictions
January 9, 2005
Mary: “IN APRIL, OUR BELOVED LORD, JESUS CHRIST, WILL DESCEND OVER AMERICA, and will reveal to us the secrets of existence. He will give you the weapons with which you can overcome Lucifer. These weapons are PEACE, LOVE AND OBEDIENCE.”
This did not happen.
There are basically three tricks being used in the false prediction. First, the prediction is vague and spiritual, so that some promoters of these messages might try to use the most minor events to claim that it was fulfilled. Second, some misguided supporters of Garabandal claim that the Miracle will occur in April. So what is happening here is a guess that maybe something will happen in April. Third, the liturgical calendar is such that April always includes either Easter or Divine Mercy Sunday or the Ascension. So promoters of these messages can use one or more of these events occurring in April to claim a fulfillment of this vague prediction.
But in fact, there was nothing unusual about April of 2005. Jesus did not descend over America and reveal the secrets of existence. Such false predictions are indicative of false private revelation.
Conclusion
The messages to Josyp Terelya are very much like the messages of numerous other false private revelations. They contain the common characteristics of false private revelation: the claim that the Antichrist is in the world today, the vague predictions of future disasters, predictions of bad weather and natural disasters, worldly language unbefitting of Jesus and Mary, and some very bizarre and unchristian messages (such as those concerning the number 11). Therefore, the claimed private revelations to Josyp Terelya are false and are not from Heaven.
by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
September 3, 2006
