The best source of information about this event is Sacred Scripture. Some texts on this subject quote various sources of private revelation indiscriminately. Even true private revelation is fallible. And some claims of private revelations are false. Therefore, this article will examine references to the three days of darkness in Sacred Scripture.

1. The ten plagues that God wrought on Egypt by Moses

The ten plagues were: 1) water turned to blood, 2) a plague of frogs, 3) a plague of gnats, 4) a plague of flies, 5) a disease on the cattle, 6) a plague of boils, 7) a plague of hail, 8) a plague of locusts, 9) a plague of darkness, 10) the deaths of the first-born of Egypt

The plague of darkness is described in this way (translation from the Latin Vulgate):

{10:21} But the Lord said to Moses: Extend your hand toward heaven. And may there be darkness upon the land of Egypt, so dense that it may be felt.
{10:22} And Moses extended his hand toward heaven. And a horrible darkness occurred in all the land of Egypt for three days.
{10:23} No one saw his brother, nor moved himself from the place where he was. But wherever the sons of Israel lived, there was light.

God sent three days of darkness against the Egyptians near the end of a series of sufferings whose purpose was to free the Israelites from slavery. Similarly, God will send three days of darkness on the whole world at the end of a long series of sufferings, that is, when the first part of the tribulation ends (late 2039 or early 2040). The purpose is, at least in part, to free the faithful from the slavery of sin and to bring the world into a time of relative peace and holiness.

The plague of darkness on Egypt was not an ordinary or natural darkness. It was not due to a sandstorm, or an eclipse, or any other natural phenomenon. The plague of darkness on the Egyptians was supernatural in cause, as was the subsequent deaths of all the first-born of Egypt. So also, the three days of darkness on the whole world will be supernatural in cause. The darkness will be so dense that one will not be able see another person in the same room. It will be difficult to move about, because it will not be merely the darkness of night, but completely darkness and total absence of light.

However, where the Israelites dwelt, there was light. Therefore, wherever the faithful of the world take refuge during those three days, there will be light. Some have said that a blessed candle will give light. But, in truth, if anyone is unfaithful to God, they will have no light, not even from a blessed candle. And if anyone is faithful to God, they will have light, even if they lack a blessed candle. For Scripture teaches that wherever the sons of Israel will be, there will be light. Nevertheless, for those who have some faith, but many sins and failings, they should have blessed candles, and they should repent and pray, so that God may deign to give them some light during these dark days.

For this time will be much more severe than during the plagues of Egypt. The suffering that precedes the three days of darkness will be worse than the plagues of Egypt that preceded the plague of darkness. This series of sufferings will affect the whole world and will be exceedingly severe.

And the three days of darkness itself will be much more severe than the plague of darkness on Egypt, for that plague was merely a foreshadowing of this future affliction. And though the plague of darkness was followed by the deaths of the first-born, which occurred afterwards, the three days of darkness will include very many deaths during those three days. These deaths will mostly be of those who are enemies of God, or who are filled by the pleasures and glories of the world. However, some good persons will also be killed. And any who are outside during those three days will be killed, along with any who open a door or window, or who make any other opening to the outside. Also killed will be many who are very sinful and who, though protected indoors, are killed by their own fear and horror, because of their sins and their lack of faith in the forgiveness and mercy of God.

Just as Moses spoke to the people before the three days of darkness, and even warned the leader of the Egyptians, so also will some few holy persons warn the world beforehand of the exact date of these three days, so that the faithful may prepare. (As for myself, I only know that these three days of darkness will occur in either late 2039 or early 2040.)

After the plague of darkness and the many deaths upon Egypt, the Israelites were freed from slavery and they lived in relative peace and holiness in the desert. There they continued to be formed into the chosen people. After the three days of darkness on the whole world and the deaths during those three days, the faithful will be, to a certain extent, free from the power of sin over the world. They will live in relative peace and holiness. The Gospel will be preached to the whole world, the Church will have much power and influence over government and law. The faithful will continue to be formed into the chosen people of God.

2. The Book of Job

Job, after enduring many great sufferings, wishes that he were dead and curses the day of his own birth. Job's situation is a foreshadowing of the situation of the world at the time just prior to the three days of darkness. Then the world will have endured a long series of very great sufferings. Many people of that time will wish that they were dead and they will curse the day of their own births. The following quotations are from the Catholic Public Domain Version of the Sacred Bible:

{3:1} After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed his day,
{3:2} and this is what he said:
{3:3} May the day perish on which I was born, and the night, in which it was said, “A man has been conceived.”
{3:4} May that day be turned into darkness, may God not seek it from above, and may light not illuminate it.
{3:5} Let darkness and the shadow of death obscure it, let a fog overtake it, and let it be enveloped in bitterness.
{3:6} Let a whirlwind of darkness take hold of that night, let it not be counted in the days of the year, nor numbered in the months.

During the three days of darkness, there will be, not only an absence of light, but also a type of supernatural storm or whirlwind; in other words, a supernatural fog of bitterness that brings with it the shadow of death.

{3:7} May that night be alone and unworthy of praise.
{3:8} May they curse it, who curse the day, who are prepared to awaken a leviathan.
{3:9} Let the stars be concealed with its darkness. Let it expect light, and not see it, nor the rising of the dawn in the East.
{3:10} For it did not close the doors of the womb that bore me, nor take away evils from my eyes.
{3:11} Why did I not die in the womb? Having left the womb, why did I not immediately perish?
{3:12} Why was I received upon the knees? Why was I suckled at the breasts?
{3:13} For by now, I should have been sleeping silently, and taking rest in my sleep
{3:14} with the kings and consuls of the earth, who build themselves solitudes,
{3:15} either with princes, who possess gold and fill their houses with silver,
{3:16} or, like a hidden miscarriage, I should not have continued, just like those who, being conceived, have not seen the light.
{3:17} There the impious cease from rebellion, and there the wearied in strength take rest.
{3:18} And at such times, having been bound together without difficulty, they have not heard the voice of the bailiff.
{3:19} The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master.
{3:20} Why is light given to the miserable, and life to those who are in bitterness of soul,
{3:21} who expect death, and it does not arrive, like those who dig for treasure
{3:22} and who rejoice greatly when they have found the grave,
{3:23} to a man whose way is hidden and whom God has surrounded with darkness?
{3:24} Before I eat, I sigh; and like overflowing waters, so is my howl,
{3:25} for the terror that I feared has happened to me, and so has the dread befallen me.
{3:26} Have I not remained hidden? Have I not kept silence? Have I not remained calm? Yet indignation has overcome me.

The indignation of the Lord will overcome the whole world. No one will be able to hide from it. All will be silenced for, in addition to darkness, there will be no use of electricity, or motor vehicles, or communication devices. Even if such devices could be designed to work without light or electricity, they will not work. All will be silent and calm, except for the inner dread that will befall those who have lived a life of sin and selfishness.

{5:12} He dispels the thoughts of the spiteful, lest their hands be able to complete what they had begun.
{5:13} He catches the wise in their cleverness and dissipates the counsel of the perverse.
{5:14} They will encounter darkness in the daytime, and they will grope at midday just as in the night.

Many who think that they are wise or clever, will try to deny the three days of darkness before it occurs. The prediction of this event will become very well known, worldwide. The news media will ridicule it. Political leaders will not believe it. All manner of excuses, explanations, and calumny will be leveled against this prediction and it proponents. The perverse and more sinful of the world, in particular, will mock and attempt to undermine the acceptance of this event and its preparation.

But God will scatter them and their plans. They will be overcome by darkness and will have no light at all, day or night. No matter how reasonable the arguments against this event might seem, no matter how many persons, reliable and trustworthy, reassure you that it will not happen, do not believe them. Be prepared for three days of darkness, for three days indoors without electricity, or heat, or running water, or communication with the outside world. Be prepared for three days of prayer and dread, of repentance and horror.

{5:15} Thereafter, he will act to save the needy from the sword of their mouth, and the poor from the hand of the violent.
{5:16} And there will be hope for those in need, for iniquity will diminish its speech.
{5:17} Blessed is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not reject the chastisement of the Lord.
{5:18} For he wounds and he cures; he strikes and his hands will heal.

Prior to the three days of darkness, there will be pieces of a comet that fall to earth and burn up a third of the land area (first trumpet), one large piece of the same comet that strikes the ocean (second trumpet), nuclear fall-out (third trumpet, an after-effect of World War 4), nuclear winter (fourth trumpet), and something akin to locusts that plagues people for five months (fifth trumpet).

After the three days of darkness (sixth trumpet), by a singular miraculous act of God's Mercy and Love, obtained by the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, all the major lingering effects of the previous sufferings are wiped away: the locust-like pestilence is gone, the nuclear winter ends suddenly, the fall-out and radiation are simply gone, the severe injuries sustained by the land and the oceans are healed.

And, since most of the dead will be the enemies of religion, the needy and the poor and the oppressed will have been saved from the hand of the violent. Hope will fill every heart and mind. Those who spoke with iniquity before, those few iniquitous persons who survive, will have no power or influence. Iniquity and sin will not be entirely absent, but these will diminish greatly. For God wounds and yet he cures. God strikes and yet he heals.

{5:19} He will deliver you into six tribulations, and in the seventh, evil will not touch you.
{5:20} During famine, he will rescue you from death, and during war, from the hand of the sword.
{5:21} You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you will not fear calamity when it arrives.
{5:22} In desolation and in famine, you will laugh, and you will not dread the beasts of the earth.
{5:23} For you are in harmony with the stones of the land, and the beasts of the earth will make peace with you.
{5:24} And you will know that your home has peace, and, concerning your appearance, you will not sin.
{5:25} Likewise, you will know that your offspring will be manifold and your progeny will be like the grass of the earth.
{5:26} You will enter the grave with abundance, just as a crop of wheat is gathered in its time.
{5:27} Behold, this is just as we have found it, which you have heard; walk it through your mind.

After the Six Seals of the Book of Revelation are unleashed upon the world, the Seventh Seal does no harm those who have the seal of the living God on their forehead. The Seventh Seal includes the first six trumpets; the rest, the seventh trumpet, is for the second part of the tribulation, in the early 25th century.

After the three days of darkness, the survivors will find that God favors them. Their crops will grow in abundance, the rains and the weather will be particularly kind, the winters will be mild. A time of respite from sufferings, a time of relative peace and holiness begins.

{10:17} You renew your testimony against me, and you multiply your wrath against me, and these punishments make war within me.
{10:18} Why did you lead me out of the womb? If only I had been consumed, so that no eye would ever see me!
{10:19} I should have been as if I had not been: transferred from the womb to the tomb.
{10:20} Will not my few days be completed soon? Release me, therefore, so that I may lament my sorrows a little,
{10:21} before I depart and return no more to a land that is dark and covered with the fog of death,
{10:22} a land of misery and darkness, where the shadow of death, and nothing else but everlasting horror, dwells.

Again, the above verses, in one level of meaning, call to mind the three days of darkness. Many will despair during that time, wondering if it will ever end or wondering if they will survive. The misery of doubt and despair and fear and horror will be worse than the mere darkness. Everyone will realize that this is an act of God, even the unbelievers.

{12:17} He leads advisors to a foolish end and judges to stupidity.
{12:18} He removes the belt of kings and encircles their waist with a rope.
{12:19} He leads away priests in dishonor and displaces nobles,
{12:20} altering the lips of those who speak the truth and sweeping away the teaching of the aged.
{12:21} He pours distain upon the leaders, relieving those who had been oppressed.
{12:22} He reveals the depths of the darkness, and he brings the shadow of death into the light.
{12:23} He multiplies peoples, and destroys them, and, having been overthrown, he restores them anew.
{12:24} He transforms the heart of the leaders of the people on earth, and misleads those who in vain
advance upon the inviolable.
{12:25} They will grope as in the darkness, not the light, and he will make them stagger like drunkards.

Before the three days of darkness, there will be a certain unjust order to the world. There will be political leaders who are unfit to lead, who lack faith and holiness. There will be wolves in sheep's clothing among the faithful. There will be sin and suffering, crimes and selfishness. But, by means of these three days, God will remove the foolish advisors and the stupid judges. God will cast down kings and ruler, and lead away unfit priests and those persons with undeserved honors. Those persons who are often seen in the media, talking about political and social events, and making their ignorant and faithless voices heard, will have been cast down: they will be dead or thoroughly humiliated and powerless. It will be the same with faithful and unfit political leaders.

After those three days, God will restore and renew. He will transform the hearts of those who will lead the earth. He himself will fight against any who try to restore previous order, by misleading and by attacking what is holy.

{15:20} The impious is arrogant for all his days, and the number of the years of his tyranny is uncertain.
{15:21} The sound of terror is always in his ears; and when there is peace, he always suspects treason.
{15:22} He does not believe that it is possible for him to be turned from darkness into the light, for he sees around him the sword on every side.
{15:23} When he moves himself to seek bread, he knows that the day of darkness has been prepared for his hand.
{15:24} Tribulation will terrify him, and anguish will prevail over him, like a king who is being prepared to go to battle.
{15:25} For he has extended his hand against God, and he has strengthened himself against the Almighty.
{15:26} He has rushed against him with his throat exposed, and he has been armed with a fat neck.
{15:27} Thickness has covered his face, and lard hangs down from his sides.
{15:28} He has lived in desolate cities and deserted houses, which have been turned into tombs.
{15:29} He will not be enriched, nor will his basic necessities endure, nor will he establish his root in the earth.
{15:30} He will not withdraw from the darkness; the flame will burn up his branches, and he will be defeated by the breath of his own mouth.
{15:31} He will not believe, being vainly deceived by error, that he could be redeemed at any price.
{15:32} Before his time is completed, he will pass into ruin and his hands will wither away.
{15:33} He will be wounded like a grapevine, when its cluster is in first flower, and like an olive tree that casts off its flower.
{15:34} For the congregation of the hypocrites is fruitless, and fire will devour the tabernacles of those who love to accept money.
{15:35} He has conceived sorrow, and he has brought forth iniquity, and his womb prepares deceit.

The arrogant and impious will be terrified during these three days. They will not see any way to escape. They will, incorrectly, not believe that they can repent and be saved. This despair toward the mercy of God is a serious sin. They will realize that this darkness is God's punishment for sin. Even many of the arrogant and impious, those who manage to find a safe refuge during these three days, will nevertheless die from fear and horror at their own sins.

{18:5} Will not the light of the impious be put out, and the flame of his fire refuse to shine?
{18:6} Light will become darkness in his tabernacle, and the lamp that is over him will be extinguished.
{18:7} His strong steps will be constrained, and his own counsel will cast him down uncontrollably.
{18:8} For he has caused his own feet to go into a net, and he has walked into its web.
{18:9} His heel will be held in a snare, and thirst will rage against him.
{18:10} A trap has been hidden for him in the earth, and a decoy, along his path.
{18:11} Horrifying things will terrify him everywhere and will entangle his feet.
{18:12} Let his strength be diminished by famine, and let starvation invade his ribs.
{18:13} Let it devour the beauty of his skin; let the ancient death consume his arms.
{18:14} Let his confidence be torn away from his tabernacle, and let ruin trample over him like a king.
{18:15} Let the companions of he who is not, dwell in his tabernacle; let brimstone rain down upon his tabernacle.
{18:16} Let his roots be dried up from beneath him, and his harvest be crushed from above.
{18:17} Let the memory of him perish from the earth, and let not his name be celebrated in the streets.
{18:18} He will expel him from light into darkness, and he will remove him from the world.
{18:19} Neither his offspring, nor his descendents, will exist among his people, nor will there be any remnants in his country.
{18:20} The last will be astonished at his day, and the first will be overcome with horror.
{18:21} And so, these are the tabernacles of the sinful, and this the place of he who does not know God.

Above is a good description of the three days of darkness as it will affect the impious and the sinful. Most of the evil persons of the world will be wiped out during those three days. Even those few who survive will find that the world no longer assists them in their sinfulness.

{23:17} Yet I have not perished because of the threatening darkness, nor has gloom covered my face.

{28:3} He has established a time for darkness, and he has settled on an end for all things, as well as for the stone that is in the gloom and shadow of death.

{29:3} At that time, his lamp shined over my head, and by his light, I walked through the darkness.

Above is a good description of the three days of darkness as it will affect the faithful. They have the light of Christ to guide them through the darkness, to save them from perishing. The time for the three days of darkness is established by God and it cannot change. But pious and prayerful persons will have the help of God.

{34:18} He says to the king, “You are an apostate.” He calls commanders impious.
{34:19} He does not accept the reputation of leaders; nor does he recognize the tyrant as he contends against the poor. For all are the work of his hands.
{34:20} They will die suddenly, and the people will be troubled in the middle of the night, but they will pass through it, and the violent will be taken away without a hand.
{34:21} For his eyes are upon the ways of men, and he examines all of their steps.
{34:22} There is no darkness and no shadow of death, where those who work iniquity may be hidden.
{34:23} For it is no longer within the power of man to enter into judgment with God.
{34:24} He will break into many innumerable pieces, and he will cause others to stand up in their place.
{34:25} For he knows their works, and, as a result, he will bring the night, and they will be crushed.
{34:26} Just as the impious do, he has struck them in a place where they can be seen.

Those who have power in the world, and who misuse it, will be killed or cast down by these three days. No matter what their reputation is, God knows the truth, and so the sinful leaders will be destroyed by these days. They will die suddenly, in a way that they did not believe was possible. New leaders, who are holy, Catholic, and united with the mind of the Church, will rise up and replace the sinful leaders.

The impious like to strike their enemies, the faithful, in a place where all can see. They like to use the media to boast about themselves and to humiliate others. Just so, when they are struck by the three days of darkness, their humiliation will be well-known to all. For, before the three days, they will hear of it and will ridicule and mock and accuse, using the news and entertainment media to that purpose. Prior to the three days of darkness, it will seem as if they have won the debate, the public argument, about this predicted event. But when it occurs, all will understand that their ridicule and mockery has been turned against themselves, and those who accused others were themselves the guilty ones.

{37:19} Reveal to us what we should say to him, for, of course, we are wrapped in darkness.
{37:20} Who will explain to him the things that I am saying? Even while a man is still speaking, he will be devoured.
{37:21} Although they do not see the light, the air will be thickened suddenly into clouds, and the wind, passing by, will drive them away.

So says the Book of Job about the three days of darkness.

3. The Book of Wisdom

This book of the Sacred Bible contains much information and insight about the three days of darkness. Now this text from the Book of Wisdom certainly applies historically to the plague of darkness in Egypt and to the deaths of the first-born among the Egyptians. However, that plague of darkness on Egypt in ancient times was also a foreshadowing of the three days of darkness in modern times. Therefore, this text also applies to the three days of darkness in modern times.

{17:1} For your judgments, O Lord, are great, and your words are indescribable. Therefore, undisciplined souls have wandered astray.
{17:2} For, while they managed to convince the unjust, so as to obtain dominion over the holy nation, they themselves were fettered with chains of darkness and of endless night, enclosed in their houses, fugitives of everlasting providence, lying in ruins.

Just before the three days of darkness, the media and the political leaders will have managed to convince most people, but not the faithful, that the great Catholic monarch should not be ruler over the vast territory formerly held by the Arab nations (Europe, the Middle East, northern Africa, and other areas). This territory was conquered by the Arab nations (Iran, Iraq, and the other Arab/Muslim nations of the Middle East) during World War 3 (in the 2010's), and liberated by the Allies and the great Catholic monarch during World War 4 (the mid 2030's). The faithful of that time (late 2030's) will all know about the prophecies, given throughout Catholic Church history, of the great monarch ruling over a vast kingdom. But impious leaders and media personalities will control the debate and manage to convince people in general not to support the idea of giving so much power to one man. Now he would not be a dictator over this territory, for he would have others working in government with him (legislators, judges, governors of lesser areas). But they distort and accuse, and they seem to win the debate.

Then the three days of darkness strikes. They are trapped in their houses. The whole world now realizes that these prophecies about the three days of darkness and about the reign of the great Catholic monarch are true. Their plans and their impious lives are left in ruins. After the three days, nearly everyone agrees that the great Catholic monarch must be the one leader over the vast territory that had been liberated in World War 4.

{17:3} And, while they thought to escape notice in their secret sins, they were scattered under a dark veil of oblivion, being horribly afraid, and having been disturbed with great astonishment.
{17:4} For neither did the cave which enclosed them preserve them from fear, because descending noises disturbed them, and the sorrowful persons appearing to them intensified their fear.

Notice that those who are the most sinful can see nothing because of the darkness, yet they are allowed to see visions of sorrowful persons - of those who sorrow because they are repentant, and of those who mourn the loss of eternal life as they suffer forever in Hell. They cannot escape this terror. They cannot leave their houses, which have become like caves to them, since none of the modern electrical devices work. Even the slightest noises fill them with great fear.

{17:5} And, indeed, even fire had no strength to provide them light, nor could the clear flames of the stars illuminate that horrible night.
{17:6} Yet there appeared to them a sudden fire, filled with fear; and, having been struck with the fear of that face which is unseen, they considered those things which they did see to be worse,
{17:7} and, having been ridiculed, the illusions were removed from their arts along with their contemptuous rebuke of glorious wisdom.

Nothing will provide light for the sinful and impious: not the sun, not the stars, not fire, not electricity, not even blessed candles will work for them. Yet they see what God wills them to see: a sudden vision of Hellfire, which strikes them with the most profound fear. They now fear the wrath of God, whom they cannot see. And they fear, even more so, the images of suffering in Hellfire, which they can see.

Formerly, they used the images and sounds of modern communications to ridicule religion and a pious belief in the prophecies of Scripture. Formerly, they rebuked true wisdom with an unrestrained contempt. Now their own illusory arts (i.e. the misuse of media, such as television, radio, internet, print) have been rendered powerless during these three days. The three days of darkness ridicules the foolishness found in the media.

{17:8} Indeed, those who promised to drive away fears and disturbances from a languishing soul, though they were filled with derision, were themselves languishing in fear.

The media promised and reassured the wavering, those who could not decide what to believe, that they should not be afraid and would not be disturbed. They used mockery and derision against the pious. But now they themselves are overcome by fear and cannot even reassure themselves.

{17:9} And, even if nothing unnatural disturbed them, yet being agitated by the passing of animals and the hissing of snakes, they died of fear, denying what they themselves saw even in the air, which no one thinks to be able to escape.

Even the slightest noises from natural things fills them with an intense dread and horror. They even fear the air, which is all around them and from which they cannot escape.

{17:10} For, while there may be apprehension with wickedness, it gives testimony to condemnation, for a troubled conscience always forecasts harshness.
{17:11} For fear is nothing else but unfaithfulness to thinking helpful things.
{17:12} And, while expectation is driven from within, the cause of this is supposing that one is great in knowledge, and as a result, conflict excels.

Their knowledge of their own sins causes their apprehension and dread, which is like a witness testifying against them. Their troubled conscience fears the punishments that they rightly deserve. Mercy and forgiveness is available to all, but fear overwhelms those who do not even have enough faith to think helpful thoughts. Fear comes from assuming that one knows what the end result of a situation will be. Whereas faith teaches us to trust that the outcome will be good, by God's mercy, even if we cannot figure out how.

{17:13} Yet those who were truly powerless that night, being overcome by both the vilest and the deepest hell, were sleeping the same sleep,
{17:14} sometimes stirred up by the fear of unnatural things, other times sinking down in disgrace of soul, for a sudden and unexpected fear overcame them.
{17:15} Then, if any among them had fallen away, he was kept in a prison without bars which had been left open.

The gates of Hell will be cast open for those three days, and unnatural things will scour the earth. The wicked who die in that time, outdoors from the supernatural pestilence and storm, or indoors from their own dread and horror, will be cast into Hell. The prison without bars is Hell, which is left open for those three days, so that fallen angels can attack any who are outside.

{17:16} For if a farmer, or a shepherd, or a worker in a field of labor were suddenly overcome, he endured an inescapable necessity.

Some few persons, deserving of Heaven not Hell, will be caught outside at the start of the three days of darkness. These will be killed, supernaturally, just as the impious and unfaithful caught outside will be killed. The deaths of some good persons during this event is an inescapable necessity.

{17:17} For they were all bound together with one chain of darkness. Or if there were a whistling wind, or the sweet sound of birds among the thick tree branches, or the force of water rushing excessively,
{17:18} or the strong noise of rocks crashing down, or the scattering of playful animals having been seen, or the strong voice of bellowing beasts, or the resounding of the highest mountain echo, these things made them sink down because of fear.
{17:19} For the whole world was enlightened with a clear light, and none were being hindered in their labors.
{17:20} But then, the heavy night was placed over the sun for them, an image of that darkness which was about to overcome them. Yet they were more grievous to themselves than was the darkness.

For the wicked, the three days of darkness is just the beginning of the darkness of Hell that is about to overwhelm them. Their own sinfulness is a greater suffering than the darkness of those three days.

{18:1} But your saints were your greatest light, and they heard your voice, but did not see your form. And because they themselves did not also suffer the same things, they praised you greatly.

Those who did not suffer from the darkness, because they had the light of blessed candles and the light of faith, will thank God that they did not suffer the same things. God will be greatly praised.

{18:2} And those who were wounded before, gave thanks, because they were no longer being wounded, and because they had petitioned for this gift, that there would be this difference.
{18:3} Because of this, they had a burning column of fire as a guide on the unknown way, and you displayed a harmless sun of a good hospitality.

Those who had no light during the three days, and who survived, will give thanks because they are no longer being afflicted. God will have healed the earth of many of the lingering effects of the tribulation. The difference for which they petitioned is that they would survive to repent and become different persons.

{18:4} The others, indeed, deserved to be deprived of the light and to endure a prison of darkness, who watched for an opportunity to imprison your sons, by whom the incorruptible light of the law was beginning to be given to future generations.
{18:5} When they thought to kill the babes of the just, one son having been exposed and set free, to their disgrace, you took away a multitude of their sons and destroyed them all together in a mighty water.

Before the three days of darkness, some persons will make an attempt to persecute Christians, blaming them for World War 4 and for the subsequent afflictions. But the three days of darkness will prevent any such persecution from becoming effective. The image of a mighty water is often used in Scripture to convey any kind of overwhelming affliction (by comparison with the great flood of Noah), not necessarily one involving actual water.

{18:6} For that night was known beforehand by our fathers, so that, knowing the truth of the oaths in which they had trusted, they might be more peaceful in their souls.

Yes, these three days of night have been known by Catholics for hundreds of years. The world will come to realize that the Catholic faith has a level of understanding not found anywhere else.

{18:7} Yet your people received not only the salvation of the just, but also the destruction of the unjust.
{18:8} For just as you wounded our adversaries, so also did you greatly esteem calling us forth.
{18:9} For the just children of goodness were secretly offering sacrifice, and in agreement they administered the law of justice, so that both good and bad would be able to receive justice, and so that you might now approve of their chanting to the father.

The faithful will respond to this time with prayer and sacrifice, not only for themselves, but for the salvation and conversion of the unjust. Among those unjust persons who survive the three days, very many will convert to the Catholic faith. For no other religion will have shown such a depth of understanding of these events, both before and after they occurred.

{18:10} On the other hand, a dissimilar voice was resounding from the enemies, and a lamentable wailing was heard for the children who were being cried over.
{18:11} But the same punishment afflicted the servant with the master, and the common man endured the same as the king.
{18:12} Therefore, all were the same, with one name for death, and the dead were innumerable. For neither were the living sufficient to bury the dead, because, with a single effort, their most illustrious nation was exterminated.

The living will not be sufficient to bury the dead. Approximately one third of the world's population at that time will be killed by the three days of darkness. There will be dead bodies everywhere, worldwide.

The illustrious and self-exalting among the nations will be exterminated. No matter how wealthy or how powerful someone might be, they will still be affected by the three days of darkness. Many of the most wealthy and most powerful will be dead. And those who are not dead will have lost their power.

{18:13} For they would not believe anything because of the drugs; then truly, at the beginning, when the extermination of the firstborn happened, they pledged the people to belong to God.

Prior to the three days of darkness, there will be numerous extreme afflictions that will burden the survivors, to a very great extent. Many of those persons lacking in faith and prayer will turn to drugs and other indulgences as an escape.

{18:14} For, when a quiet silence surrounded all things, and when the course of the night was passing the middle of its journey,
{18:15} your almighty word from heaven leapt down from your royal throne, as a fierce warrior in the midst of the land of extermination,
{18:16} as a sharp sword carrying your unfeigned authority, and standing, filled all things with death, and, standing on the earth, reached all the way up to touch heaven.
{18:17} Then, incessant visions of nightmares disturbed them, and unexpected fears overcame them.

Again, the Scriptures reveal that those covered in darkness, nevertheless, will receive nightmare-like visions, which will disturb them to the depths of their souls and will reveal unexpected fearful things to them.

{18:18} And another was thrown down elsewhere half-alive; and so, by means of that which was dying, the cause of death was revealed.

This verse actually refers to a later time period, to the second part of the tribulation (early 25th century). Then the Antichrist will attempt a fake ascension to Heaven, but he will be smothered by the Archangel Michael and thrown down to the ground, broken and half-alive. Thus it will be clear to the whole world that rebellion against God is the cause of death in the world.

But as for the first part of the tribulation (2009/2010 to 2039/2040), there will be a leader of the occupation, prior to World War 4, who will be a foreshadowing of the Antichrist; he is not the Antichrist, just one of those who foreshadow him.

{19:1} But the impious, all the way to the very end, were overcome by anger without mercy. Indeed, he knew beforehand even their future.

Some of the impious will not repent, despite everything that happens and all the prayers of the faithful.

God knows the whole future with absolute certainty. He takes into account all of our prayers and sacrifices and works of mercy, and all freewill decisions and actions, past, present, and future. Thus the text of Sacred Scripture can predict events thousand of years in advance with absolute certainty. The three days of darkness will occur, no matter what else happens; it cannot be prevented by prayer and repentance; it is an absolute certainty.

{19:2} Yet, seeing that they might have repented, so that they would be led by him and be sent forth with great concern, the just sought the impious, while regretting their deeds.
{19:3} For, while the just were still holding grief in their hands and weeping at the tombs of the dead, these others took upon themselves another senseless thought, and they cast out the legislators and pursued them as if they were fugitives.

Although many wicked and unrepentant persons will be killed by the three days of darkness, and many others will repent, there still will be some impious and unrepentant persons after that time. So, while the just are mourning the loss of the dead, even of the unjust, these others hunt down legislators and government officials, blaming them for their own foolishness.

{19:4} For a fitting necessity was leading them to this end, and they were losing the remembrance of those things which had happened, so that what was lacking in the sufferings of the conflict might be completed by the punishment,
{19:5} and so that your people, indeed, might wonderfully pass through, but these others might find a new death.
{19:6} For every creature according to its kind was fashioned again as from the beginning, diligently serving your teachings, so that your children would be preserved unharmed.

These unrepentant who survive the three days will inevitably cause more trouble for the world. But this time they will not be successful, they will be rebuked, or punished, or even find a new death. They escape from the three days of death and darkness, only to find some new way to bring themselves to an unhappy ending.

But the children of God will rebuild a world, which, for a brief time (about 25 years at its best), will rejoice in peace and holiness. After that, the world gradually slips more and more into sin and secularism.

4. The Psalms

{54:5} My heart has become disturbed within me, and the dread of death has fallen over me.
{54:6} Fear and trembling have overwhelmed me, and darkness has buried me.

{106:6} And they cried out to the Lord in tribulation, and he rescued them in their necessity.
{106:7} And he led them in the right way, so that they might go forth to a city of habitation.
{106:8} Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.
{106:9} For he has satisfied the empty soul, and he has satisfied the hungry soul with good things:
{106:10} those sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, shackled by extreme poverty and by iron.
{106:11} For they exasperated the eloquence of God, and they irritated the deliberation of the Most High.
{106:12} And their heart was brought low with hardships. They were weakened, and there was no one to help them.
{106:13} And they cried out to the Lord in their tribulation, and he freed them from their distress.
{106:14} And he led them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and he broke apart their chains.
{106:15} Let his mercies confess to the Lord, and let his miracles confess to the sons of men.

Again, Sacred Scripture uses the past event of the plague of darkness on Egypt to prophesy about the future event called the three days of darkness. After those three days, the survivors go forth to a renewed world, to build cities of habitation, i.e. livable cities, not the crime-ridden, dirty, crowded, dehumanizing cities of today.

5. The Book of the Prophet Zechariah

{13:7} Awake, O spear, against my shepherd and against the man that clings to me, says the Lord of hosts. Strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And I will turn my hand to the little ones.

This refers to the nuclear attack on Vatican City and Rome in the seventh month, July, of 2013 A.D. Unlike the nuclear attack on New York City in 2010, this attack in July of 2013 uses a short-range missile.

At that time, the sheep will be scattered. The great apostasy, which has its roots even in the present day, begins with full force. When Vatican City is destroyed, those who hate the Church will be pleased. And those within the Church, who had been quietly fermenting rebellion, will openly act, with much greater arrogance, in ways contrary to Church teaching.

The abomination of desolation begins at this time, though it reaches its fullness only in that later time of the second part of the tribulation (during the Antichrist's reign in the early 25th century). The abomination of desolation is a false Eucharist, a perverse imitation of that most Blessed Sacrament. With the Vatican destroyed (2013) and the Pope captured in war (2012), blinded and imprisoned, those who wish to rebel do so with impunity. They promote every manner of error concerning the Mass and the Eucharist, pretending to ordain women, pretending that women can ordain men, even those men who are openly committing mortal sins, and making changes to the Mass and Eucharist. The result is that their ordinations are not valid ordinations, their Mass is not a true Mass, and their consecration is not a true consecration, and their perverse imitation of the Eucharist is not the Eucharist at all, but is the beginning of the abomination of desolation. (This abomination of desolation, this false Eucharist, is revived in the early 25th century, in an even more hideous form.)

The power vacuum caused by the capture of the Pope and the destruction of Rome and Vatican City results in apostasy, heresy, schism, and outright attacks on the Church. Many Catholics leave the faith entirely. Many Protestants leave the Christian faith entirely. But the true children of God persevere in the faith. They will not be disappointed.

{13:8} And there will be in all the earth, says the Lord, two parts in it will be scattered and will pass away, and the third part will be left behind.

Two thirds of the entire world population at that time will perish (in the first part of the tribulation, from 2009/2010 to 2039/2040), and only one third will remain. One third is killed in the afflictions of the First Six Seals and the first Five Trumpets of the Seventh Seal. One third more is killed in the three days of darkness, which is the Sixth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal.

{13:9} And I will lead the third part through fire, and I will burn them just as silver is burned, and I will test them just as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will heed them. I will say, “You are my people.” And they will say, “The Lord is my God.”

The one third remaining, the remnant, will be purified. Miraculously, after the three days of darkness, many of the afflictions in the world are gone. But still, they will have to rebuild the world. And they will have a difficult time rebuilding. They will not have much electricity or modern conveniences, at first. But the earth will yield its fruits in abundance. They will have clean water, purified by God from the lingering effects of the previous afflictions. They will have the light of the teaching of the Church led by the Angelic Shepherd. They will have the leadership of the great Catholic monarch. A time of peace and holiness will be given to the world.

6. The Crucifixion in the Gospels

Translation from the Latin Vulgate:

Then from the sixth hour, there was darkness over the entire earth, until the ninth hour. (Mt 27:45).

And when the sixth hour came, there was darkness throughout all the earth, until the ninth hour. (Mk 15:33).

But it was almost the sixth hour, and there was darkness in the entire earth, until the ninth hour. (Lk 23:44).

When Christ was on the Cross, a supernatural darkness fell upon the entire earth, worldwide. This darkness lasted from about noontime (the sixth hour) until about three p.m. (the ninth hour), a total of about three hours. This three hours of darkness has many levels of meaning, including (but not limited to) the following:

When Christ died on the Cross, at about the ninth hour, the darkness ended. The death of Christ on the Cross brings us from the darkness of sin and ignorance into the light of God's grace and wisdom.

Individuals who follow Christ must also pass through various kinds of sufferings and dark times in their lives, in order to enter into the eternal light of Heaven.

In profound prayer, a disciple of Christ must pass through darkness in order to reach a contemplative state.

The three hours of worldwide darkness, while Christ was on the Cross, were immediately preceded by a long series of sufferings: from His agony in the garden, to His scourging, to His carrying His Cross. These three hours of worldwide darkness, while Christ was on the Cross, were also immediately followed by the Salvific Act of His death on the Cross. This event foreshadows the event of the three days of darkness.

The three days of darkness will be immediately preceded by a long series of sufferings for the whole world. These three days will also be immediately followed by a singular act of God's Mercy, when God heals the whole world of its afflictions through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, saving the world from further destruction. The Church and the world must pass through this series of sufferings, culminating with the three days of darkness, just as Christ had to pass through His Passion and Crucifixion. Afterwards, the Church and the world will experience a time of grace and peace and relative holiness.

These events of the first part of the tribulation, are similar to the events of the second part of the tribulation, when the Church and the world must again pass through a series of even more severe sufferings, which again are a reflection of the Passion and Crucifixion of the Church. Afterwards, again, there will be a salvific time, when the world will understand and live the Gospel, but this time even more fully.

7. The Sixth Trumpet of the Seventh Seal in the Book of Revelation

{9:13} And the sixth angel sounded the trumpet: and I heard a voice from one of the four horns of the golden altar which is before the eyes of God,
{9:14} saying to the sixth angel, who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels, who have been bound at the great river Euphrates.”
{9:15} And the four angels were released, who had been prepared for that hour, and day, and month, and year, in order to kill one third part of men.
{9:16} And the number of the army of horsemen was twenty thousand times ten thousand. And I heard their number.
{9:17} And so I saw the horses in the vision. And those who sat upon them had breastplates of fire, and of hyacinth, and of sulphur. And their heads were like the heads of lions, and from their mouths proceeded fire, and smoke, and sulphur.
{9:18} And by these three plagues, one third part of men were killed: by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the sulphur, which proceeded from their mouths.

At first glance, this passage might not seem to describe the three days of darkness, for it does not even mention darkness or night. However, the event described must be the three days of darkness, described relative to its effects on humanity, rather than by its darkness.

First, the three days of darkness kills one third part of the human race. Another third will be killed by all the other afflictions of the first part of the tribulation combined. So this sixth trumpet could not be yet another event, killing the last third because then no one would be left. Therefore, the sixth trumpet, which kills one third of the human race on earth, is the same as the three days of darkness.

Second, the three days of darkness occurs at the end of a long series of severe sufferings on the world, followed by a respite from suffering (just as with the plague of darkness in Egypt). The sixth trumpet likewise occurs at the end of a long series of severe sufferings (the first Six Seals and the first Five Trumpets), followed by a respite from suffering (indicated by the Seven Thunders in chapter 10).

Third, the three days of darkness was foreshadowed by both of the afflictions of the last two plagues on Egypt, (the plague of darkness and the deaths of many from Egypt). This passage describes the supernatural means used to accomplish those deaths. The greatest part of the suffering of this event is found in the deaths of so many people, not in mere darkness. That is why the darkness need not be mentioned in every passage that is about the three days of darkness.

8. The Fifth Bowl of God's Wrath in the Book of Revelation

{16:10} And the fifth angel poured his bowl over the seat of the beast. And his kingdom became darkness, and they gnawed their tongues out of grief.

The event called the three days of darkness occurs only once, about late 2039 or early 2040. This later event, called the Fifth Bowl of God's Wrath, is similar, but is not the same event. In this later event, only those who are evil, the followers of the Antichrist (who by then will have been thrown down), will suffer from this darkness. The faithful of that time will not even need blessed candles. It is a darkness only for the wicked. Also, in this later event, notice that no large percentage of the world population is killed. They suffer greatly and gnaw at their tongues in anguish, but they do not die from this affliction. This later event may even last for more than three days.

Summary

The Three Days of Darkness is the last in a series of severe afflictions during the first part of the tribulation. For nearly three days, there will be darkness over the whole earth. No light will be available to any of the unfaithful from sun, or moon, or stars, or electricity, or fire, or any other source. The faithful will have a small amount of light, from blessed candles. The most devout will have some light, even if they do not have blessed candles. Everyone, good or bad, who is outside during the three days will be killed by supernatural forces. Everyone must stay indoors and must close all doors and windows securely. The worst of the sinners will see visions of sorrowful souls and the sufferings of Hellfire. Many of these worst sinners will die from their own fright and horror, even though they are indoors. And everyone who goes outside, or who opens a door or window, during these three days will be killed.

At the end of the three days of darkness, one third of the world's entire population at that time will be dead. But the world will also have been miraculously healed of the lingering effects of all the previous afflictions. Then the survivors will begin to rebuild a more peaceful and more holy society, for a time. Then, after hundreds of years, the second part of the tribulation will occur.



by Ronald L. Conte Jr.
September 28, 2005