Christ
is here [Matt 24:24] warning the faithful against the prodigies of that the
agents of Satan will produce in the days of Antichrist, to deceive them if
possible. Such prodigies are not miracles, but as St. Paul says, "signs
and lying wonders." This very warning on the part of Our Lord
presupposes the power of miracles in the Church, for otherwise there would be
no reason for Satan to attempt such counterfeits. There can be no counterfeit
coins where there are no genuine coins to counterfeit. The prophecies of the
Apocalypse show that Satan will imitate the Church of Christ to deceive
mankind; he will set up a church of Satan in opposition to the Church of
Christ. Antichrist will assume the rôle of Messias; his prophet will act the
part of Pope, and there will be imitations of the Sacraments of the Church.
There will also be lying wonders in imitation of the miracles wrought in
the Church. (E. Sylvester Berry, The Church of Christ: An Apologetic and
Dogmatic Treatise [St. Louis, Miss.: B. Herder Book Co., 1927], 119; one
can find the scanned image of the page here; cf. his commentary on Revelation 12)
