Papal Apocalypse?

So, the Pope has resigned. In fact, his resignation took effect yesterday. You may have seen all sorts of news regarding this event. Pope Benedict is the first Pope to resign, rather than dying in office, since 1415. There is all sorts of speculation, including odds, regarding who will be the next Pope. In fact, the oddmakers have already established a favorite. As of the day after the resignation’s announcement,

If the oddsmakers are correct, the next pope will be a Canadian.
Marc Cardinal Ouellet, the former the former archbishop of Quebec, who now heads the Congregation of Bishops, has shot to the top of oddsmakers' lists in the 24 hours since Pope Benedict XVI unexpectedly announced he will retire at the end of the month.
Paddy Power, based in Ireland, lists Ouellet at 7 to 2 odds. Ladbrokes, a London-based betting house, has the Canadian cardinal at 3 to 1 odds.
Ouellet has such "pope-ularity" that he has attracted 65 percent of all wagers at Ladbrokes, spokeswoman Jessica Bridge told ABCNews.com.

By the time anyone reads this post, the odds will, no doubt, have changed. It’s a big betting event, as evidenced by this quote. "Last time around [in 2005] we had over 1 million euro betting on the next pope. This time around we certainly expect to exceed that," he said. "We're confident this will be our biggest non-sporting betting event we've ever had." (see entire article here). 

Here’s a connection you may not have noticed. Now that the Mayan calendar thing is out of the way (see my post on this here), we have yet another doomsday prediction. This one connected with the Pope. "Saint Malachy of Armagh, a Roman Catholic bishop who died in 1148, was said to have had a vision while on a pilgrimage to Rome wherein he learned the exact number of all the popes who would rule from his time to the Apocalypse." (Story here).

Malachy gave numbers and Latin phrases to all the (the future) Popes. The exact number assigned to Pope Benedict is not clear, but he could be the last Pope before “the end.” Or, he could be the penultimate Pope.

Once again, the entire world is in a wait-and-see mode. Many, no doubt are on pins and needles as they wait.

God's Words says, "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." (Matthew 24:36). Oh, it's all interesting. Who will be the next Pope? How will he interact with Protestants? Lot's of questions arise when a popular and powerful man is to be replaced. But, only God knows when history as we know it will end. In the meantime, "Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."