On the night of January 7th, 2016, Father Oliveira woke up abruptly and, as if startled, underwent an experience that he cannot confidently classify as either a dream or a vision. At first, he was seated on the bed; then, it felt like he was in a different location; ultimately, he was back in bed, but this time, he was lying down.
He found himself before an immense iron gate, very tall, like a ten-story building. On either side of the gate, there was a huge stone wall. The walls were not made of polished stones, like those of a building, but it was as if they were a massive mountain, into which the gate was embedded. The priest could not see the end of these walls, neither on the right side nor on the left. Besides being extensive, the environment was dark.
There were some large, loose stones near the entrance of this gate. The priest heard, coming from the other side of the walls, many shouts and strange sounds, like those of people fighting and screaming in despair.
Suddenly, one of those stones began to take the shape of a grotesque creature. The priest described the creature with the following words:
Envision a cat, shorn of fur, as tall as a man. Its skin was a sickly greenish hue, crisscrossed with open sores. Its limbs were grotesque, twisted into unnatural shapes. And its face, though vaguely human, was a mask of horror, with empty, gaping eye sockets.
That being, obviously a demon, stood up and looked in his direction. It came walking close to him. The priest was very afraid. Then a dialogue began:
Demon: I'll bring you here! You will not escape! There are many like you here!
Father Oliveira: What is this place you speak of? What do you mean?
Demon: This place is ours! And we will do everything to drag you here!
Father Oliveira: You may attempt whatever you wish, but my God and your Lord Is all-knowing.
The demon cackled, spewing forth a torrent of vile insults. He taunted the priest, calling him a slave to the Woman, a damned soul, a mere worm.
Demon: Do you think you can stand against us?
Father Oliveira: I cannot, but if God wills it, He can deliver me. You may attempt to claim me, but if God permits it, it is because I deserve it. Yet, even if you succeed in dragging me down here, you cannot drag those the Lord has already saved and will still save through my ministry. It is not my power, but it is all the work of the Lord.
The demon became enraged and lunged at the priest. Many other rocks also transformed into these beings and surrounded him from all sides. The priest thought he would be torn to pieces. Yet, at the last moment, the creatures recoiled in terror, their gaze fixed on something behind the priest.
Turning around, the priest beheld a colossal angelic figure perched upon a towering boulder. The angel stood at least three or four meters tall, cloaked in a deep blue robe that was hooded. His wings were vast and shadowy, and his face was white and of exquisite beauty. His eyes were clear and his expression conveyed an indescribable peace. In his hands, he held a scythe.
Father Oliveira looked towards the demons to find them cowering, as if trying to protect themselves. He turned to the angelic figure and inquired as to its identity. The angel remained silent, its answer a gesture—a massive scythe, its blade etched with the enigmatic equation "33 + 12", glowing with an otherworldly heat. The priest did not understand the cryptic message.
Then the angel raised its scythe, and nine luminous figures materialized around the priest. They were people, but their features were obscured by the radiant light that they all seemed to be composed of. The nine people joined hands and disappeared.
A dazzling halo encircled Father Oliveira. A radiant figure materialized beside him, one hand resting upon his shoulder, the other reaching the luminous ring. At that moment, the halo's brilliance intensified, and all the demons fled, transforming back into stone.
The priest, too, became a beacon of light, his hands aglow. He found himself face to face with the angel, who smiled enigmatically and pointed once more at the cryptic numbers on the scythe before disappearing.
The priest awoke to find himself back in his bed. Reaching for his Bible, he opened it at random and landed on Sirach 14:11ff.¹
The priest interprets the event as follows:
I think that the Lord, in His infinite mercy, wanted to show me the hatred that Hell has for priests. This vision served as a warning that the priesthood would face challenging years ahead. I was in my 33rd year of life at the time, so I think that the +12 is about the following twelve years, or the time it would take until my 45th year, that is, 2028. Another intuition I had about the nine illuminated people is that it may be the need that priests have to ally themselves with the holy angels (who make up 9 choirs) and their guardian angel (who would be the tenth person inside the circle that touched my shoulder) in these years of spiritual combat. The angel with dark garments, for me, was an angel of the end times. The scythe, though traditionally associated with death, here signifies the death of an epoch, suggesting a protracted period of spiritual warfare culminating in 2029. This is how I interpret this experience.
Note¹: My son, if wealth thou hast, regale thyself, and make thy offering to God proportionable. Sirach 14:11ff
Translated by Getúlio Holanda Almeida
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