The Mystery of the Overturned Altar
A true story by Daniel John Schmude (6/12/2026)

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
Once upon a time, a Nazareth man, whose name was Joseph, allegedly heard in a dream what his betrothed wife, whose name was Mary, heard in a vision a few months earlier unbeknownst to him, the Annunciation of the Lord (Luke 1:26-38, Mat. 1:20-23). The supernatural experience would cause them to agree to be the virgin mother and foster father of the son of the Most High.

THE OVERTURNING OF THE ALTAR
On September 30, 2005, a Hartselle man, whose second name is Joseph, saw in a vision what his girlfriend, whose second name was Marie, saw in a dream a few nights earlier unbeknownst to him, the church that they were vandalizing. The supernatural experience would cause them to wander into a Decatur church two days later to preach and to feel the urge to overturn the altar.

And get this, the church that they would vandalize during Mass is called the Annunciation of the Lord. "And behold," the second names of the young married couple who participated in the crime are Beth, which is short for "Elizabeth" (Luke 1:36), and Eugene, which means well-born.

Elizabeth's husband Zechariah was not mentioned in the Annunciation, just as a namesake of his did not participate in vandalizing the church. But Zechariah was considered well-born, because he was born into the Jewish priesthood; and Eugene was well-born, because he was born after 10/2/1984, thereby making him the only "youthful offender" of the four vandals.

Joseph, the vandal, told reporters that "[he] couldn't see" what he was doing when he "tore up a table that people saw as an idol." Marie told them that God must have elevated their abilities, because she "[doesn't] like speaking in front of crowds" and Joseph "cannot lift a 500-pound altar." "God allowed us to be his puppets," she said.

Beth and her husband did not speak to any reporter, just as Elizabeth and her husband did not speak to anybody but Mary when their son John the Baptist was in the womb (Luke 1:5-25, 39-56).

No one can make this stuff up, unless there is a Divine Father, who made it up a long time ago for a very different reason, to orchestrate the Virgin Birth of his son as a sign (Isa. 14:7, Mat. 1:23). But why would the Most High orchestrate the overturning of the altar as a sign?

THE MEANING OF THE SIGN
Overturning the altar reveals what is under it. To reveal is to make known something that was previously unknown, usually in a surprising manner. The parishioners were surprised when the altar went down the steps and smashed into pieces, tearing up the carpet. But they already knew what was under the altar, especially since the relics, which the bishop had installed under it two years earlier, had just been featured in the 'Religion' section of Saturday's Decatur Daily. (The vandals did not read the article about the relics.)

The bishop installs the relics under the altar.

So, the parishioners already knew what is under the altar physically. But did they know what is under it spiritually? In the Fifth Seal, John the Apostle recorded what he saw under the altar spiritually; and what he saw are the souls of martyrs (Rev. 6:9). Since the altar is the place of sacrifice, and sacrifices are either holy or unholy, the martyrs are either those who gave up their lives as a holy sacrifice or those whose lives were given up as an unholy sacrifice.

The Catholic Church has always thought that the souls under the altar in the Fifth Seal are the saints who gave up their lives a long time ago as a holy sacrifice. Therefore, the recent overturning of the altar must reveal that the souls under it in the Fifth Seal are not the saints who gave up their lives a long time ago as a holy sacrifice, but those whose lives are currently being given up as an unholy sacrifice.

If there is a Divine Father of Jesus, and the overturning of the altar is a sign from him, then it must mean that the souls under the altar in the Fifth Seal are those whose lives are currently being given up as an unholy sacrifice.

WHY THE SIGN WAS GIVEN
Once the Father of Jesus has revealed to us that the souls under the altar in the Fifth Seal are young victims of an ongoing and unholy sacrifice¹, our natural response is to start asking him, in prayer, to teach us (John 6:45) how Christians can help stop the unholy sacrifice, so that those who help might be clear from the blood of the victims on the day their blood is avenged (Rev. 6:10, 19:2). Then we are taught the following.

• A sacrifice is an act of giving up something to obtain something else for oneself or for others.
• The unholy sacrifice is the act of giving up the life of a man's offspring to at least obtain for the man the forgiveness of his debt of postnatal sustenance to his offspring, a debt that he incurs by impregnating a female person.
• The way to stop any sacrifice is not to try to make it illegal but to take away its efficacy, that is, its power to obtain something for one or more people.
• By giving up his own life as the holiest sacrifice (ie. to obtain for others the forgiveness of their debts to God), the Christ took away the efficacy of the animal sacrifice in the year 3790 AM according to the scriptures². We may add the new detail, "in the year 3790 AM," to the Gospel (1Co. 15:3-4).
• To take away the efficacy of the unholy sacrifice is to take away the incentive for the crime of coerced abortion, a secret crime that happens often³, because it is easy to get away with.
• Since the incentive for coerced abortion is the forgiveness of a debt of postnatal sustenance, there ought to be a permissive law which would give every pregnant one the option to certify the debt of sustenance, which is owed to her offspring, so that if anybody was to kill the creditor in her womb, the debt would not be forgiven but would instead be converted into reimbursement for wrongful death, payable to the parents or guardians of children in need, whom she could either specify on the certificate or let the state determine.
• If a pregnant one was to exercise the anti-coercion option under the new law, then those who would have had an incentive to make her abort, namely her boyfriend or parents, would instead have a decision to make, either let her continue the pregnancy and help support their own child/grandchild or make her abort and support someone else's child/grandchild.
• Since advancements in DNA science enable a pregnant one to submit proof of paternity well before she begins to show, it will be safe for her to exercise the option under the new law, as long as she does not announce the pregnancy until after she has submitted proof of paternity.

A NEW ANNUNCIATION
Once we are taught those things, we are commissioned as new evangelists to bring a new annunciation to the faithful, as we bring the Gospel plus the new detail to the unbelieving.

New Annunciation

Every Christian is now invited to help stop the unholy sacrifice by signing the petition to disincentivize the crime of coerced abortion. Those who believe and help will be clear from the blood of the victims on the day their blood is avenged. But those who do not believe will not be clear.

Gospel + New Detail

The Christ died for our sins in the year 3790 AM according to the scriptures, and he rose from the dead on the third day according to the scriptures. Those who believe and are baptized will be saved from their sins and from death. But those who do not believe will not be saved.

A link to the petition mentioned in the new annunciation can be found on the EternalGospelSociety.com website.