The Book of Revelation #42

The epilogue hearkens back to the prologue. St. John is presented as the recipient of a prophecy to the Church and the Lord reminds us all that he is to come and he is coming. In fact, the Greek variation on these two words "ecromai" is repeated seven times in chapter 22.

But what does "the coming of the Lord" means? Does it mean the final and glorious coming of Jesus when He will judge the living and the dead? Yes, it does, but does it mean only that?

In Catholic theology, the "coming" of the Lord is a daily happening. It is not merely symbolic or equivalent to God's omnipresence; rather it is substantial, real, material, and tangible: the Eucharistic meal that recapitulates and proclaims the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

This does not mean however that Catholicism merely "reduces" the Book of Revelation to the Mass; it means instead that the Book of Revelation reveals to us the unfathomable riches hidden in the Liturgy and teaches us the proper way in which God ought to be worshiped.

In the final analysis, the Mass is this song of Love reminiscent of the Song of Songs where the Heavenly court of the Divine King is open and where his children come to glorify God, make their petitions known, and partake at the Heavenly banquet. In return, God makes his decree known and Christ continues to rule over the world (the intent behind his coming) for the greater good of His Church.

The Book of Revelation is as much the Revelation of Jesus Christ as it is His Church.

The Book of Revelation #41

This last major vision reveals the bride as seen from Heaven. Because the Catholic understanding of Scripture is rooted in the Church and because the Mystical Body of Christ is already glorious, we understand this vision to be a heavenly perspective on the one-and-only Church of Jesus Christ: the Catholic Church.

The Mystical Body of Christ is one, holy, catholic and apostolic on Earth as it is in Heaven. Thus, this bond of unity and love extends throughout the ages and what St. John saw some 2,000 years ago is as relevant and true today as it will be at the end of time.

The uniting bond of love that joins the first vision, that of Christ walking within the particular churches of Chapter 2 and 3 and the heavenly Jerusalem is the Eucharist through which one is transformed into the other -- earthly into heavenly, human into the divine and this process is guided by Providence, the hidden rule of Christ. Thus the book of Revelation witnesses this act of transformation that is on-going throughout history and that can be only comprehended when one realizes the centrality of the Church in the plan of salvation that Christ inaugurated in his incarnation, life, death, and resurrection.

The Book of Revelation #40

Few ideas inflame the imagination as that of the Millennium -- the tantalizing possibility of a 1,000 year of peace on Earth under the visible and perfect Kingship of Jesus Christ.

While Catholics for the most part have been blissfully ignorant of the passionate debate the Millennium engenders in Protestant circles, they are also for the most part unaware of its profound impact on the practice of their faith and the importance of the Mass they participate in.

Highlight

1. What do the words "pit", "chain" and "key" have in common?
2. How did the Jewish and early Christians, contemporaries of St John understand these words?
3. How are we to understand the numeral "1000"?

The Book of Revelation #39

After the fall of Babylon, the heavenly hosts rejoice greatly in the judgment of God; something we Christians need to re-learn and understand for it has a profound impact on our relationship -- personal and communal -- with the Living God.

The rejoicing is not what we might expect or we may be used to: a party. It is in fact liturgical and this is key to the meaning of the liturgy: The celebration and rejoicing in God's glory, justice, and mercy.

This rejoicing is central to the understanding of the Book of Revelation as a whole: a celebration by the Church in the salvific work effected by Jesus Christ: God walks in the midst of His people as He did it in the Garden and it is He that directs history towards its ultimate fulfillment: a hallelujah of exaltation in the marvelous work of the Lord.

The Book of Revelation #38

The promise of the angel in Chapter 17 to show St. John the "judgment of the great whore sitting on many waters" is being accomplished here. In Chapter 17 we see the cause leading the judgment on the woman.

We can distinguish four parts:

1. The fall of Babylon is depicted (vv 1-3)
2. God's people are exhorted to separate from Babylon before her judgment lest they suffer with her (vv 4-8).
3. Those cooperating with Babylon will lament after her judgment (vv 9-19), and,
4. The faithful will rejoice over her judgment once it is accomplished (vv 20-24)

Seen differently, the faithful are exhorted to leave Babylon before her judgment in five successive and different ways:

1. They are told of the coming judgment and of the need to leave Babylon (vv 18:1-8)
2. They are told that the kings of the Earth will lament her fall (18:9-10)
3. They are told that the merchants will lament her fall (18:11-17a)
4. They are told that the mariners will lament her fall (18:17b-19b)
5. Finally, they are told they will rejoice over her fall and will give glory to God (18:20-19:6)

Highlights

• Why does the angel proclaim Babylon "fallen" (past tense) when the text indicates that it has not yet fallen?
• What is the relationship between liturgy and history?
• How is this text applicable today? How are we to understand modern events in light of this text?

The Book of Revelation #37

In the preceding chapter, we saw the seven bowls poured out on the world economy leading to the preparation of war. In this chapter, we see the next logical step: the destruction of the center of opposition.

The judgment on the woman who is later associated with Babylon the Great is taken from Jeremiah 51:13 where the prophet predicts absolute judgment on historical Babylon.

John is carried away to the wilderness and he beholds Babylon. Jesus in the wilderness is carried away to the top of the Temple and there the devil tells him "all nations have been given to me." Why carry Jesus to the pinnacle of the Temple to make such a declaration?

The woman sitting on the beast indicates power, control, sovereignty

Harlotry has been attributed to Tyre by Isa. 23:15-18, to Nineveh in Nahum 3:4 and Israel has been called a harlot 62 times: Jeremiah (6) times (see Revelation chapter 2), Ezekiel 33 times (16, 23, 43), Hosea (20) times, Joel 4:3, Amos 7:17, Micah 1:7 (2).

Why were Tyre and Nineveh called harlots? Because both Tyre and Nineveh had entered into a covenant with the Lord and had subsequently become faithless to it by returning to idolatry (1 Kgs 5:12, Amos 1:9, Jonah 3:5-10).

Question: When did Rome enter into a covenant for Rome to be called a harlot?

Highlights

• What is the relationship between the harlot and the beast from the land?
• What is the relationship between the harlot and the woman clothed with the sun?
• How is this text applicable today? How are we to understand modern events in light of this text?

The Book of Revelation #36

The sixth bowl is poured over the river Euphrates to prepare the ways for the kings of the East. As if on cue, the dragon and its two consorts the beast from the sea and the false prophet bring forth three frogs which are demonic spirits to go abroad the entire Earth and assemble the kings for the great battle then the narrative is interrupted with an exhortation from the Lord: I am coming like a thief!

The narrative continues: the Kings are assembled in a place called in Hebrew Armageddon and at the pouring of the seventh trumpet a great voice in heaven declares that "it is done." Meanwhile, on Earth, it is far from being done for an earthquake splits the Great City three ways and every island and mountains fled and they were not be found again right before the plague of hails hit the city.

After reading verses 12 through 21 of chapter 16 we are left to wonder how to make sense of it and yet a proper reading founded in the Old Testament and the liturgy reveals a logical progression of God's wrath: after disrupting the economic means of the Great City He uses the sword to effect the destruction of the city that is now opposing the Covenant and as we rely on the Old Covenant the various symbolic names used, Babylon, Euphrates, Armageddon become clear.

Highlights

• Does the river Euphrates here refer to the actual river Euphrates?
• Why do we see demonic spirits under the guise of frogs?
• Is the exhortation in verse 15 a late insertion? If not how does it fit in the rest of the text?
• Armageddon means -- literally -- Har Megiddo -- that is the Mountain of Megiddo or Mount Megiddo. The trouble is there is no such thing as Mount Megiddo. It does not exist so what do we make of it?

Art in cover: Medieval Spanish, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Book of Revelation #35

The first five bowls complete what the first five trumpets began. The trumpets were a partial punishment whereas the bowls are a complete punishment.

They affect all aspects of nature with the intent of disrupting man's economic means of subsistence. Most of us will find it hard that God's punishments are so harsh because most of us do not spend adequate time reflecting on the four last things: death, judgment, heaven, and hell.

These days it is difficult to go to any funeral without hearing the dead being canonized there and then in heaven. It would seem that it is easier to go to heaven than it is to go to Harvard and this laxity in our faith undermines the reverence that is due to God's awesome holiness... so much so that God has become a benign, gentle being that will accept anyone and everyone in heaven.

This chapter is a wake-up call especially when we hear the angels and the altar glorify God for the pain and affliction the bowls are causing amongst those who dwell on the earth. It is a wake-up call to examine ourselves and consider carefully the words of the Lord: wide and easy is the road that leads to perdition and many find it, and narrow and difficult is the path that leads to eternal life and few find it.

God wants us in heaven but we must understand that without the liturgy, without the Church, and without a life of penance we are on the wide and easy path regardless of what we think of ourselves or of God.