Revelation Reflections

SS 190 THE BOOK OF REVELATION
Introduction
The Book of Revelation has twenty-two chapters, four hundred and four verses, and about twelve thousand words. In my opinion, it is meant to be a guidebook with directives for the completion of our salvation journey. Revelation shows us this completion event will be more like the end of history, at least history as we know it. Revelation is also about the end of sin, death, the devil, the world economic systems, and world religion. From the destruction depicted in Revelation, God creates a new Heaven and a new Earth—He fulfills His part of the covenant. Every person has a soul that will spend forever somewhere—where a person spends eternity depends on how each one honors the covenant. The Book Revelation is easy to outline. It is divided into three sections, all focusing on Jesus—the key to the book. 1. The Person of Jesus—His heavenly glory (1:1-1:20) 2. The People of Jesus—His instructions to us (2:1-3:22) 3. The Plan of Jesus—His plans for the world (4:1-22:21)
While some details from the Book of Revelation are discussed here, the reader of this paper should note that Revelation begins with Christ walking among the candlesticks (His churches) pouring out His Holy Spirit (the seven lamps and the seven spirits) upon His church and establishing the covenant with them. These early chapters in Revelation show Christ’s beginning work after His ascension as He brings all of us into Christianity. This is where the new covenant is established—Jesus as the Lamb sacrificed for us. Within this covenant relationship in Revelation, we see: * A call to faithfulness. * Blessings for faithfulness in our relationship with the Lord, eventually blessed with eternal life. * Curses for unfaithfulness in our relationship with the Lord, eventually cursed with destruction.
Revelation chapters four and five are joyous occasions praising God for the wonderful covenant He has made with His created beings. The following chapters also deal with the way people relate to that covenant. And it all ends with the judgment resulting in viewing two entities--one the redeemed, the other-- those who rejected God 's covenant.

The author’s purpose seems to be to tell us all, how the world looks for someone who with the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit, lives a Trinitarian life actively participating in God’s love. In the beginning of the narrative, Jesus appears to John who is in prayer on the island of Patmos. With this “preview of coming attractions”, John sees the glorified Jesus—not just the man who walked the land of Israel and was crucified 2000 years ago. Through the Book of Revelation, we discover the unveiling of Jesus Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Because John was frightened by this vision, he was comforted by Jesus who promised a special blessing to anyone who studies and takes to heart the message of Revelation. This is evidenced in Rev. 1:3, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near”. The Book of Revelation is a series of visions, which John is advised to record so all will know what paradise will be like. This paper serves as a gathering of impressions and inspirations gleaned from lecture notes offered by Fr. Damien Dougherty (SS190), the Bible, as well as additional readings. The topics included in this paper begin with the authorship and writing style of this book of the Bible. Then within the Book of Revelation, I will examine our covenant relationship with God (introduced in the Old Testament), the Biblical significance of the number seven, and how celebrating the Eucharistic liturgy in its relationship to the Book of Revelation is an earthly experience in anticipation of our vision of paradise. Pope John Paul II described the Mass as "heaven on earth," explaining that what "we celebrate on Earth is a mysterious participation in the heavenly liturgy." These reflections are in response to the question: “How has this course influenced your comprehension of the Book of the Apocalypse and what do you perceive as its fundamental message for our world of today?”
Even to this day, many people question the actual authorship of the book of Revelation. Is the writer of the Book of Revelation the apostle John? Or is the writer a member of a community of believers influenced by St. John? Dr. Scott Hahn in The Lamb’s Supper declares, “Indeed, the books themselves indicate that, if they do not share a common author, they at least flow from the same school of thought” (p. 74). After studying the Gospel of St. John and now the Book of Revelation, I see certain similarities. Both books of the New Testament focus on the Jerusalem Temple and proclaiming Jesus is the “Lamb”—the sacrifice of the New Passover. “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). And from Revelations 5:6, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.”

With a reference to Jesus as “Lamb” one of the other aspects that drew me to further study of Revelation were the “I Am” statements used both in the Gospel and Revelation to define who Jesus is. The “I Am” statements describe Christ’s timelessness. He is outside of time, and isn’t controlled by it; he controls it. In Revelation 22:13, we see, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Also because St. John was so close to Jesus, perhaps Jesus selected him to write Revelation. Dr. Hahn reminds us, “John was the Apostle on most intimate terms with the Lord, the disciple who was literally closest to His heart. John reclined on Jesus’ heart at the Last Supper” (p. 75). The book of Revelation and the Gospel of St. John share a common writing style, which can be interpreted in both the literal and spiritual sense; there is a certain fluid poetic quality to both writings. Dougherty (lecture notes) defines “the principal characteristics of apocalyptic genre: the presentation of ‘divine revelations’ through visions in which angels intervene or other heavenly beings, the widest use of symbolic language with intentions that were more or less esoteric, the continuous recourse to traditional themes, clichés used and abused, that revealed the lack of personality, the use of a pseudonym to give greater credibility to the pretend revelations.” Apocalyptic literature almost always follows dual narratives of hope and despair, at once describing the current evils of the world and promising a figure who would save the righteous or faithful from the ultimate death of the sinful world, which is what we find in the Book of Revelation. I find myself attracted to this style of writing as it generates a great use of the imagination to define it. Where else in the Bible can we see such an honest depiction of good and evil—angels and lambs versus beasts and demons? Using imagination with prayer can lead to great discoveries about God and self. I think this study is somewhat like the Ignatian Prayer method, although this is primarily used to study the Gospels. “This kind of imaginative prayer seeks the truth of the heart rather than the truth of facts. The person who prays this way notices the feelings and desires inspired by an encounter with Jesus. To deepen the encounter, Ignatius recommends savoring the experience, returning to it again and again to relish the details.” Because of a fondness for this writing style, I have been drawn to read Revelation many times, but with this class (SS190), I have prayerfully adopted many new impressions which I am sure will further enhance any future readings of Revelation. For me, this Book can be read many different times in a lifespan, with new appreciations, new frameworks, and new learning at each reading.

In spite of these similarities, there are differences noted as well. In Revelation, John frequently refers to himself by name, but never does this in either his Epistle or Gospel writings. Biblical scholars have pointed out that both the Gospel and Epistle of St. John are written in “flawless Greek” whereas the Book of Revelation contains “grammatical errors and stylistic abnormalities”. These scholars have determined that Revelation was probably written around 90 A.D. which would have made St. John a very old man. Fr. Dougherty in his lecture notes says, “Whatever the solution may be to the problem which, in the long run is not essential for our aim of providing a correct exegesis, the fact remains that the Apocalypse undeniably belongs to that group of New Testament writings that goes under the name of Johannine Literature”. Peter Kreeft, in You Can Understand the Bible, agrees with Fr. Dougherty on the authorship of Revelation. “Even my gut literary instincts tell me it ‘smells’ Johannine, for the traditional symbol for John is the eagle, and this book, John’s Gospel and 1-John all soar like an eagle. The same Spirit moves over the waters of both worlds, however different the waters and the weather. Both books share some distinctive themes, notably the Antichrist and the vision of a cosmic battle between good and evil, an all-encompassing spiritual war” (p. 311).

Finishing the examination of literary style, apocalyptic writing, and authorship, I would like to discuss the covenant concept of the Bible in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. In order to understand the judgment of Revelation and how it applies to our own lives, I think we need to first understand the covenant bond we have with our Father. Dr. Hahn advises, “God’s fatherhood does not lessen the severity of His wrath or lower the standard of His justice. On the contrary, a loving father requires more from his children than judges demand from defendants. Yet a good father also shows greater mercy” (p. 106). Throughout the Bible, God graciously committed Himself to “bond” with human beings, defining how He would relate to His creatures. We look first to Adam and Eve as they begin their creation covenant in the Garden of Eden, with the Tree of Life. Because they were unable to honor this covenant, God established an addendum to the original covenant—the promise of a coming Savior, Jesus Christ—crucified on a tree. From this covenant stems our salvation history.

With Old Testament study, we are able to see how and why God entered into covenants with Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Ezekiel, Moses, and David. The Bible comes full circle in what it shows us from Genesis to Revelation. In Genesis we see the Tree of Life. Genesis 2:9, “The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground--trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” We see it once more in Revelation. Rev. 2:7: “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” We humans begin our lives in paradise and if we live our lives “in love with God”, we will end our lives in paradise—the covenant promise fulfilled. In Genesis we see what life was like before the devil brought sin into the world. In Revelation we see sin and the devil gone forever. In Genesis we see the beginning of sorrow, suffering and death. In Revelation, we see the end of all three. Rev. 21:4, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation offers praise to God for the covenant He has made with us, and honoring Christ for the sacrifice He was willing to suffer, in order that the covenant could be approved and completed. In Rev. 4:11: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” And in Rev. 5:13: “Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, forever and ever!”
With the many details in the Book of Revelation, I was not surprised by the author using numbers to strengthen understandings. It seems to me in a worldly sense that humans are often impressed by quantitative amounts rather than qualitative endeavors. But to disagree, Kreeft offers, “In sacred Scripture numbers usually have more significance than their quantitative indicators. More often than not even when a number is used to indicate a certain quantity the individual number given may point beyond the numerical value to a symbolic significance. At other times the number given is not to be taken literally and may represent an approximate value, a symbolic value, or may indicate the use of hyperbole—an exaggeration or amplification to illustrate a teaching point in the Biblical text”. These qualities are hallmarks of the apocalyptic style of writing used in the Book of Revelation. Although my main numerical focus is on the number seven—used initially in Genesis with our origins as God’s children, there are other significant numbers that we see reflected in the Bible. Three is the number of perfect completion for the Jews, and for Christians the number three symbolized the perfection of the Godhead—the Most Holy Trinity, and eight is the number of salvation. It is the number of Christ, of the resurrection, and of the Second Coming. The number seven (used 55 times in the Book of Revelation) stands for completion. The number seven signifies “spiritual perfection and fullness or completion. It is the number of Covenant and of the Holy Spirit.” Since Revelation is a narrative of our completion, perhaps that is the reason the number seven is used so much in this account. In opposition to the number seven, the number six is also referenced in Revelations. In Rev. 13:18, “This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666”. According to Rose Publishing, the number “six is a symbol of incompletion; 666 indicated total imperfection”. Since any creature named 666 (beast—Antichrist) is incomplete, it will not survive the battle and aftermath of the apocalypse.
I would like to return to the number seven as it is used in Revelation detailing God’s judgments. From my viewpoint, the judgment account begins with the seven churches which can symbolize inclinations for any church in any time. God is in His throne and He gives John the testimony viewpoint of the important truths about his power over things and his care for the church. I see the scroll as God’s last will and testament—detailing his plan of salvation for all time. The seals are about repeated evils throughout history and God’s authority over them, and the trumpets are about the cycle of human sin—consequences—and God’s salvation. The bowls show what will happen and does happen to those who consistently go against God.
In the Book of Revelation, John is introduced first to Seven Messages to the Churches. These churches actually existed at the time. Kreeft tells us, “These churches and cities were real, not visionary. The ruins of some of them can still be seen today. They had real, specific, local problems, and the seven letters address these problems” (p. 309). Each of the churches receives a promise of a reward for those who persevere. 1. Ephesus: Repent—Reward: Right to eat from the tree of life 2. Smyrna: Be faithful—Reward: Not hurt by second death 3. Pergamum: Repent—Reward: A white stone with a new name 4. Thyatira: Hold on to what you have until I come—Reward: The Morning Star 5. Sardis: Wake up—Reward: Be dressed in white, never blotted out from the book of life 6. Philadelphia: Hold on to what you have—Reward: Become a pillar of the temple 7. Laodicea: Be earnest and repent—Reward: Will be seated with Christ
Even though the language is symbolic, the problems confronting each of these churches were real. These problems are also evident today—people need to take these admonitions seriously. Rev. 2:7, “Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” We now journey through the book for a different type of revelation. This vision begins with a very detailed description of a divine being who sits beside an “open door”. “After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this"(Rev. 4:1). God was seated on a throne. Next to the throne in middle of thunder and lightning was a scroll sealed with seven seals, which may only be opened by “the Lamb”. This account of the seals on the scroll is the first “end of times judgments” by God. 1. First Seal: White Horse introduces the Antichrist (Rev. 6:1-2) 2. Second Seal: Red Horse causes great Warfare (Rev. 6:3-4) 3. Third Seal: Black Horse causes Famine (Rev. 6:5-6) 4. Fourth Seal: Pale Horse causes Pestilence (Rev. 6:7-8) 5. Fifth Seal: tells of all those who will be martyred for their faith in Christ during end time (Rev. 6:9-11) 6. Sixth Seal: an earthquake occurs causing terrible devastation (Rev. 6:12-14) 7. Seventh Seal: contains seven angels with trumpets (Rev. 8:1-2, 8:3-5)
This story of Revelation progresses to the second degree of “end of times judgments” by God. The accounting now gives the details of the seven trumpets which were held in the seventh seal. 1. First Trumpet causes hail and fire that destroys much of the plant life in the world (Rev. 8:1-5) 2. Second Trumpet brings about what seems to be a meteor hitting the oceans resulting in death of much sea life (Rev. 8:8-9) 3. Third Trumpet resembles the second except it affects the world’s lakes and rivers (Rev. 8:10-11) 4. Fourth Trumpet causes sun and moon to be darkened (Rev. 8:12) 5. Fifth Trumpet results in a plague of “demonic locusts” that attack humanity (Rev. 9:1-11) 6. Sixth Trumpet releases a demonic army that kills a third of humanity (Rev. 9:12-21 7. Seventh Trumpet calls forth the seven angels with the seven bowls of wrath (Rev. 11:15-19)
The Revelation account now progresses to the third degree of “end of times judgments”—seven bowls or vials. These seven bowl judgments are called forth by the seventh trumpet. 1. First Bowl causes painful sores to break out on humanity (Rev. 16:2) 2. Second Bowl results in the death of every living thing in the sea (Rev. 16:3) 3. Third Bowl causes the rivers to turn to blood (Rev. 16:4-7) 4. Fourth Bowl results in the sun’s heat being very intense and causing great pain (Rev. 16:8-9) 5. Fifth Bowl causes great darkness and more intense feeling for the sores in the First Bowl (Rev. 16:10-11) 6. Sixth Bowl results in the Euphrates River being dried up, the armies of the Antichrist called to wage the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:12-14) 7. Seventh Bowl results in a devastating earthquake followed by giant hailstones (Rev. 16:15-21)
We complete the details of these judgments with Rev. 16:5-7, directed to God, “You are just in these judgments, you who are and who were, the Holy One, because you have so judged, for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve. Yes, Lord God Almighty, true and just are your judgments”.

For a more positive hopeful approach, I would now like to detail the Seven Beatitudes of Revelation given to John. 1. Rev. 1:3—“Blessed is anyone who reads the words of this prophecy and blessed those who hear them, if they treasure the content, because the Time is near.” 2. Rev. 14:13—“Blessed are those who die in the Lord! Blessed indeed, the Spirit says; now they can rest forever after their work, since their good deeds go with them.” 3. Rev. 16:15—“Blessed is anyone who has kept watch, and has kept his clothes on, so that he does not go out naked and expose his shame.” 4. Rev. 19:9—“Blessed re those who are invited to the wedding feast of the Lamb. 5. Rev. 20:6—“Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection, the second death has no power over them but they will be priests of God and of Christ and reign with Him for a thousand years.” 6. Rev. 22:7—“I am coming soon! Blessed are those who keep the prophetic message of this book.” 7. Rev. 22:14—“Blessed are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city.”
While there are several mentions of Biblical sevens in the Book of Revelation: Seven Symbolic Histories (Rev. 12:1-14:20), Seven Messages of Judgment (Rev. 17:1-19:10), and Seven Visions (Rev. 19:11-22:5), these comprehensive lists of seven reaffirm the completion events at the end of time. (Details and lists for the sevens were completed with the assistance of Father Dougherty’s lecture notes, Rose Publishing, and the Bible.)

I would now like to transition to the final aspect of this paper, the relationship of Revelation to our Eucharistic liturgies, an earthly expression and understanding of heaven. CCC: 1090, “In the earthly liturgy we share in a foretaste of that heavenly liturgy which is celebrated in the Holy City of Jerusalem toward which we journey as pilgrims, where Christ is sitting at the right hand of God, Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle”. As a “cradle Catholic” who has participated in countless Masses, studying this aspect of Revelation has been enlightening. I have a new understanding, attitude and appreciation of the “Eternal Supper of the Lamb”. With taking this class and studying the book, The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth by Scott Hahn, I now realize so many parts of the Mass come from the Book of Revelation. With Dr. Hahn, I am able to “see the sense in Revelation’s altar (Rev. 8:3), its robed clergymen (4:4), candles (1:12), incense (5:8), manna (2:17), chalices (ch. 16), Sunday worship (1:10), the prominence it gives to the Blessed Virgin Mary (12:1-6), the ‘Holy, Holy, Holy’ (4:8), the Gloria (15:3-4), the Sign of the Cross (14:1), the Alleluia (19:1, 3:6), the readings from Scripture (ch. 2-3), and the ‘Lamb of God’ (many, many times)” (p. 66-67). I have been saying these prayers for so many years, without realizing their significance regarding the Book of Revelation. I think the key to our Eucharistic liturgies is the realization of the “Lamb of God”. In the beginning of the Book of Revelation, John is looking for Jesus as a Lion—powerful, strong. Instead he finds a Lamb. “The Lamb is Jesus. The Lamb is also a ‘son of man’ robed as a high priest (1:13); the Lamb is sacrificial victim; the Lamb is God.” (Hahn p. 76). As humans, the Mass gives us an anticipatory set of what heaven will be. It presents divinity within a framework of human understanding. At the first part of Revelation (Letters to the Churches), we are able to visualize a form of a Penitential Rite. In the second part of Revelation beginning with chapter 11, we see “the opening of God’s temple in heaven, and culminates in the pouring of the seven chalices and the marriage supper of the Lamb. With the opening of heaven, the chalices, and the banquet, Part Two offers a striking image of the Liturgy of the Eucharist” (Hahn, p. 121). This is what is revealed in the Book of Revelation, “the union of heaven and earth, consummated in the Holy Eucharist” (p. 135). With the Masses said each day, as Catholics we renew our covenant bond in “the marriage supper of the Lamb”—an action all-encompassing that is a shared meal, a sacrifice, and a sacrament. “The Apocalypse unveiled the Eucharist as a wedding feast, where the eternal Son of God enters into the most intimate union with His spouse, the Church. It is this ‘Communion’ that makes us one with Christ, sons in the Son” (p. 149).

Conclusion
Kreeft reminds us, “Revelation is about the last act of our play, the end of history, of time itself. More specifically, it is about Christ’s Second Coming. Christ does not come again because it is the end of time. It is the end of time because He comes again. Christ is not relative to time; time is relative to Christ” (p. 325). For me this says it all, Revelation sums up all the additions (good deeds) and subtractions (sin) we have made in our lives and gives us an answer to the question of, “Who do I love?” With our lives, we solve the equation. People often get caught as to whether the visions in Revelation have been, are being, or have yet to be fulfilled. According to Rose Publishing, there are four different approaches to reading and studying the Book of Revelation. “For the Historicist, the Book of Revelation is prophecy about church history from the time of John to the end of the world. For the Preterist, the Book of Revelation is prophecy that was fulfilled primarily in first century AD. For the Futurist, Revelation is prophecy primarily about the future end of the world. And for the Idealist, Revelation is a non-historical and non-prophetic drama about spiritual realities.” For me, I see myself as more of a Futurist, but with some modifications. I believe the events in Revelation are appropriate to any age in the Church—a time for growth and reflection as well as a time for completion. CCC 115-117—Senses of Scripture: “According to an ancient tradition, one can distinguish between two senses of Scripture: the literal and the spiritual, the latter being subdivided into the allegorical, moral and anagogical senses. The profound concordance of the four senses guarantees all its richness to the living reading of Scripture in the Church.” I see this evidenced in the Book of Revelation. Continuing with CCC 115-117: * The literal sense is the meaning conveyed by the words of Scripture and discovered by exegesis, following the rules of sound interpretation: "All other senses of Sacred Scripture are based on the literal. * The spiritual sense. Thanks to the unity of God 's plan, not only the text of Scripture but also the realities and events about which it speaks can be signs. * The allegorical sense. We can acquire a more profound understanding of events by recognizing their significance in Christ; thus the crossing of the Red Sea is a sign or type of Christ 's victory and also of Christian Baptism. * The moral sense. The events reported in Scripture ought to lead us to act justly. As St. Paul says, they were written "for our instruction". * The anagogical sense (Greek: anagoge, "leading"). We can view realities and events in terms of their eternal significance, leading us toward our true homeland: thus the Church on earth is a sign of the heavenly Jerusalem.
As a person who has prayerfully studied, reviewed, and researched this topic, I am especially thankful, Father Dougherty, for this opportunity for spiritual growth and enrichment while studying “the heavenly Jerusalem”. The Book of Revelation reaffirms and strengthens my relationship with Christ, and His Bride—the Church. “Revelation preaches the same Gospel in symbols that Jesus preached in deeds and Paul in words: salvation by God’s grace, not man’s greatness” (Kreeft, p. 328).

References
Bible—NIV version
Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1995). New York: NY. Doubleday.
Dougherty, D.,O.F.M., Class Lectures and Insights. (2013). SS 190—The Book of Revelation.
Hahn, S. (1999). The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. New York: NY. Random House.
Kreeft, P. (1990). You Can Understand the Bible. San Francisco: CA. Ignatius Press.
Rose Publishing: http://www.rose-publishing.com/

References: Bible—NIV version Catechism of the Catholic Church. (1995). New York: NY. Doubleday. Dougherty, D.,O.F.M., Class Lectures and Insights. (2013). SS 190—The Book of Revelation. Hahn, S. (1999). The Lamb’s Supper: The Mass as Heaven on Earth. New York: NY. Random House. Kreeft, P. (1990). You Can Understand the Bible. San Francisco: CA. Ignatius Press. Rose Publishing: http://www.rose-publishing.com/