Interpretating Revelation

Spiritual Food for Thought ^ | 11-19-10 | Mark Mallett

[mlizzy]

WITHOUT a doubt, the Book of Revelation is one of the most controversial in all of sacred Scripture. On one end of the spectrum are fundamentalists who take every word literally. On the other are those who believe the book has already been fulfilled in the first century or who ascribe to the book a merely allegorical interpretation.

But what about future times, our times? Does Revelation have anything to say? Unfortunately, there is a modern tendency among many clergy and theologians to relegate discussion of the prophetic aspects of the Apocalypse to the loony bin, or simply dismiss the notion of comparing our times to these prophecies as dangerous, too difficult, or altogether misguided.

There’s only one problem with that stance, however. It flies in the face of the living Tradition of the Catholic Church and the very words of the Magisterium itself.

---SNIP---

REVELATION AND TODAY

Ironically, it was Pope Paul VI who used a passage from St. John’s prophetic vision to describe, in part, this very crisis of faith in the Word of God.

The tail of the devil is functioning in the disintegration of the Catholic world. The darkness of Satan has entered and spread throughout the Catholic Church even to its summit. Apostasy, the loss of the faith, is spreading throughout the world and into the highest levels within the Church. —Address on the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Fatima Apparitions, October 13, 1977

Paul VI was alluding to Revelation Chapter 12:

Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. (Rev 12:3-4)

In the first Chapter, St. John sees a vision of Jesus holding seven stars in His right hand:

…the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches. (Rev 1:20).

The most likely interpretation given by biblical scholars is that these angels or stars represent the bishops presiding over the churches of Christendom. Thus, Paul VI is referring to apostasy within the ranks of the clergy who are "swept away." And, as we read in 2 Thess 2, the apostasy precedes and accompanies the "lawless one" or Antichrist whom the Church Fathers also referred to as the "beast" in Revelation 13.

John Paul II also made a direct comparison of our times to the twelfth chapter of Revelation, drawing a parallel to the battle between the culture of life and the culture of death.

This struggle parallels the apocalyptic combat described in [Rev 11:19-12:1-6, 10 on the battle between" the woman clothed with the sun" and the "dragon"]. Death battles against Life: a “culture of death” seeks to impose itself on our desire to live, and live to the full…  —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Cherry Creek State Park Homily, Denver, Colorado, 1993

And recently, Pope Benedict did not hesitate to step into the "dangerous" territory of Revelation:

This fight in which we find ourselves… [against] powers that destroy the world, are spoken of in chapter 12 of Revelation… It is said that the dragon directs a great stream of water against the fleeing woman, to sweep her away… I think that it is easy to interpret what the river stands for: it is these currents that dominate everyone, and want to eliminate the faith of the Church, which seems to have nowhere to stand before the power of these currents that impose themselves as the only way of thinking, the only way of life. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, first session of the special synod on the Middle East, October 10th, 2010

With whom, then, is this "fight in which which we find ourselves"?

THE BEAST

The answer, of course, is that ancient serpent, the devil. But we read in John’s Apocalypse that the devil gives his "power and his throne and his great authority" to a "beast" that rises out of the sea.

Now, often in historical-critical exegesis, a narrow interpretation is given to this text as referring to Nero or some other early persecutor suggesting that St. John’s "beast" has already come and gone. However,

The majority of the Fathers see the beast as representing antichrist: St. Iranaeus, for example, writes: "The beast that rises us is the epitome of evil and falsehood, so that the full force of apostasy which it embodies can be cast into the fiery furnace." —Against Heresies, 5, 29; The Navarre Bible, Revelation, p. 87

While still a cardinal, Pope Benedict issued a warning regarding this beast, a warning that should resonate with all in this technological age:

The Apocalypse speaks about God’s antagonist, the beast. This animal does not have a name, but a number [666]. In [the horror of the concentration camps], they cancel faces and history, transforming man into a number, reducing him to a cog in an enormous machine. Man is no more than a function.

In our days, we should not forget that they prefigured the destiny of a world that runs the risk of adopting the same structure of the concentration camps, if the universal law of the machine is accepted. The machines that have been constructed impose the same law. According to this logic, man must be interpreted by a computer and this is only possible if translated into numbers.
 
The beast is a number and transforms into numbers. God, however, has a name and calls by name. He is a person and looks for the person.  —Cardinal Ratzinger, (POPE BENEDICT XVI) Palermo, March 15th, 2000

---SNIP---

TIME OF WATCHING AND PRAYING

Perhaps another reason discussion of Revelation’s apocalyptic vision is often considered taboo among Catholic intellectuals is that such talk is deemed paranoia or sensationalism. But such a viewpoint is in contradiction with Church teaching:

According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching. —CCC, 672

Continue reading here.

[mlizzy]

And recently, Pope Benedict did not hesitate to step into the "dangerous" territory of Revelation:

This fight in which we find ourselves… [against] powers that destroy the world, are spoken of in chapter 12 of Revelation… It is said that the dragon directs a great stream of water against the fleeing woman, to sweep her away… I think that it is easy to interpret what the river stands for: it is these currents that dominate everyone, and want to eliminate the faith of the Church, which seems to have nowhere to stand before the power of these currents that impose themselves as the only way of thinking, the only way of life. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, first session of the special synod on the Middle East, October 10th, 2010

[STD]

Baloney

[bibletruth]

The absolute key to understanding this book and its symbolism is to first read the entire Old Testament, for in it ALL the keys to the books symbolism are nearly all first handled. Without this background reading of the entire Old Testament the reader is limited in capacity to correctly understand God’s council and purpose and timing of Revelation.

[smvoice]

Not to mention the truth of who the woman in Rev. 12:1-17 is.

[DManA]

Stop worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow. trust God’s Grace will get us through what ever comes. Read Revelation like you read any other book in the Bible - to tune your heart and mind into God’s will for you right now, in this day, in this moment.

[lurk]

The first 5 chapters and the last 3 chapters are straight up understandable the first time through.

The middle chapters are the challenge, but doable.

[bibletruth]

The truth of Rev. 12:1-17, this passage describes the flight of the Jews out of Israel, the passage begins with a historical review in verses 1-5. These verses summarize the whole life of Christ from just before His birth to His ascension. John saw two signs in the heavens. The first sign (verses 1-2) Israel is pictured as a woman; a motif taken from the Old Testament concept of Israel as the wife of Jehovah. The sun, moon, and twelve stars are all common Old Testament figures relating to Israel. The ground for this sign is Joseph's dream in Genesis 27:9-11. From this passage John's vision can easily been be interpreted. The son (from Genesis 27:9-11) represents Jacob who was renamed Israel and both these names were often used to represent the entire nation of Israel (e.g., Isaiah 40:27, 49:5, Jeremiah 30:10). The moon (from Genesis 27:9-11) represents Rachel, who in turn became representative of Jewish women, especially Jewish motherhood (Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18). The twelve stars represent the twelve sons of Jacob who in turn fathered the twelve tribes of Israel.

Clearly then (from Genesis 27:9-11, Rev. 12:1-17) the woman arrayed with the sun, moon, and stars is representative of Israel (not the church). Rev. 12:1-17 explains that the woman is seen in the final stages of pregnancy about to give birth to a child. The vision then is of the nation of Israel just before the birth of the Messiah. A perfect reason why this cannot be the church is that it would be an anachronism with the church giving birth to Christ - the opposite is true.

[mlizzy]

Stop worrying about what’s going to happen tomorrow.

I agree with you and here's one of my favorite quotes I've read countless times ... it's framed right outside the door of our church's Adoration Chapel.

“Do not be anxious about what may happen tomorrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you today will take care of you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.” (St. Francis de Sales)

However, St. Francis de Sales never says it is unwise to pray while remaining watchful, and that's the message I receive when I read Mark Mallett's post ...

Rosary for Peace

[Ro_Thunder]

Not to be nitpicky, but isn’t it Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John, not the Revelation of St. John the Divine?

[onthelookout777]

Here are some helpful papers (available free online) about crucial basic issues that underlie correct interpretation of the book of Revelation:

The Literal Interpretation Of Prophecy
http://www.pre-trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheLiteralInterpretationO.pdf

A Case for the Futurist Interpretation of the Book of Revelation
http://www.pre-trib.org/articles/view/case-for-futurist-interpretation-of-book-revelation

The Seventy Weeks of Daniel
http://www.pre-trib.org/data/pdf/Ice-TheSeventyWeeksofDani.pdf

Precepts for Prophetic Fulfillment
Has prophetic fulfillment already taken place, is it presently taking place, or will it take place in the future?
http://www.worldofthebible.com/Bible%20Studies/Precepts%20for%20Prophetic%20Fulfillment%20.pdf

__________________________________________

And here’s an excellent, in-depth, verse-by-verse study of the book of Revelation. Available free online in audio and video formats. Mp3s downloadable at no charge. You can put the whole series on your iPod:

http://deanbible.org/andromeda.php?q=f&f=%2FAudio+Files%2F2004+-+Revelation
About the teacher: http://deanbible.org/bio.php

[mlizzy]

Not to mention the truth of who the woman in Rev. 12:1-17 is.

How is it that the woman clothed with the sun mentioned in Revelations 12:1 is claimed to be the Virgin Mary by us Catholics. What is the solid proof that this passage refers to Mary. I am a Marian devotee and I would like to be very certain about my answer when I am asked this question by my non-Catholic associates. Thank you.

The first level of "proof" would be the literal interpretation of the text itself, in which we see that this Woman gives birth to a Son, Whom the Dragon wishes to destroy. All commentators agree that the Son is Jesus Christ--and the Dragon is explicitly identified as Satan--therefore it is absolutely reasonable to assume that the Woman who gave birth to Jesus Christ MUST BE Mary, the Mother of our Lord.

The book of Revelation records a vision of a woman clothed with the sun:

12:1 And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 12:2 she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. 12:3 And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. 12:4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; 12:5 she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 12:6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

There is a long-standing tradition of interpretation in the Church which views this woman from two perspectives: as representative of God’s People and as the Mother of our Lord. We note that it is common to find a feminine image for the People of God, in the OT and the NT. In this case, we see that the Savior (male child) is born of the Jewish People with the pains of birth (symbolically often used to represent a new age dawning, certainly the case with the coming of the Messiah) and Satan attempts to destroy our Lord, not just as an infant but he continually attempted to thwart his saving mission. Continue reading here.

[bibletruth]

I'm do not deny that Mary gave birth to Jesus...The Messiah was history old prophecy to Israel, and Mary was a Jewish woman of Nazareth born in Galilee. Messiah was promised to Israel, not Gentiles.

But a careful reading to understand the book of Revelation must first start with the signs and symbols from the Old Testament:

The first sign (verses 1-2) Israel is pictured as a woman; a motif taken from the Old Testament concept of Israel as the wife of Jehovah. The sun, moon, and twelve stars are all common Old Testament figures relating to Israel. The ground for this sign is Joseph's dream in Genesis 27:9-11. From this passage John's vision can easily been be interpreted. The son (from Genesis 27:9-11) represents Jacob who was renamed Israel and both these names were often used to represent the entire nation of Israel (e.g., Isaiah 40:27, 49:5, Jeremiah 30:10). The moon (from Genesis 27:9-11) represents Rachel, who in turn became representative of Jewish women, especially Jewish motherhood (Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:18). The twelve stars represent the twelve sons of Jacob who in turn fathered the twelve tribes of Israel.

Clearly we have proof from Genesis 27:9-11, that Rev. 12:1-17 and reference to the woman arrayed with the sun, moon, and stars is representative of Israel, NOT the Church. Rev. 12:1-17 explains that the woman is seen in the final stages of pregnancy about to give birth to a child. The vision then is of the nation of Israel just before the birth of the Messiah.

[circlecity]

"On one end of the spectrum are fundamentalists who take every word literally."

Although I have studied eschatology pretty extensively I have yet to find ANY school which "takes every word literally". In fact, it's pretty clear to me that every school of thought mixes literal and symbolic interpetation as necessary to get to the conclusion they've already decided they want reach.

[Iscool]

Rev 12:14 And to (Mary) the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that (Mary) she might fly into the wilderness, into (Mary's) her place, where (Mary) she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Rev 12:15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after (Mary) the woman, that he might cause (Mary) her to be carried away of the flood.
Rev 12:16 And the earth helped (Mary) the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

Has anyone ever seen such a convoluted mess as that???

This fight in which we find ourselves… [against] powers that destroy the world, are spoken of in chapter 12 of Revelation… It is said that the dragon directs a great stream of water against the fleeing woman, to sweep her away… I think that it is easy to interpret what the river stands for:

So why didn't your pope tell you and us what the water stands for??? He tries to tell you that the woman is Mary and now he says he can easily interpret what the water is, but then he doesn't...

it is these currents that dominate everyone, and want to eliminate the faith of the Church, which seems to have nowhere to stand before the power of these currents that impose themselves as the only way of thinking, the only way of life. —POPE BENEDICT XVI,

Your pope doesn't have a clue as to what God says...So let's see what God says about waters...

17:15 And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

The real, Christian interpretation of these verses is that the Woman (Israel) will be chased into the wilderness by multitudes of people of all nations and tongues who are sent out by the beast...

And the earth opened her mouth to swallow up the waters??? Now there's a tough one for your pope to figure out...

[Iscool]

Not to be nitpicky, but isn’t it Revelation of Jesus Christ to St. John, not the Revelation of St. John the Divine?

That's your own private interpretation...The Catholics wrote the scriptures...The scriptures can mean whatever they want them to mean...

(do I need to post a sarcasm tag???)