A Call to Humility in the Mystery of the Seven Thunders

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 04-24-18 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

A Call to Humility in the Mystery of the Seven Thunders

Msgr. Charles Pope • April 24, 2018 •

In the Office of Readings last week, we examined some of the more terrifying passages from the Book of Revelation, related to the seven trumpets, seals, and bowls of wrath. There is also a reference to the underreported “seven thunders,” reminding us that there are some things that are not for us to know.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down” (Rev 10:1-4).

A similar passage occurs in the Book of Daniel. Having had certain things revealed to him, Daniel is told,

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end (Dan 12:4).

To the Apostles, who pined for knowledge of the last things, Jesus said,

It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (Acts 1:7).

In all of these texts we are reminded that there are some things—even many things (seven is a number indicating fullness)—that are not for us to know. This is a warning against sinful curiosity and a solemn reminder that not all of God’s purposes or plans are revealed to us.

Several reasons come to mind for this silence and for the command to seal up the revelation of the seven thunders:

1. It is an instruction against arrogance and sinful curiosity. Especially today, people seem to think that they have right to know just about anything. The press speaks of the people’s “right to know.” And while this may be true about the affairs of government, it is not true about people’s private lives, and it is surely not true about all the mysteries of God. There are just some things that we have no right to know, that are none of our business. Much of our prying is a mere pretext for gossip and for the opportunity to see others’ failures and faults. It is probably not an exaggeration to say that more than half of what we talk about all day long is none of our business.
2. It is a rebuke of our misuse of knowledge. Sadly, especially in the “information age,” we speak of knowledge as power. We seek to know in order to control, rather than to repent and conform to the truth. We think that we should be able to do anything that we know how to do. Even more reason, then, that God should withhold from us the knowledge of many things; we’ve confused knowledge with wisdom and have used our knowledge as an excuse to abuse power, to kill with nuclear might, and to pervert the glory of human life with “reproductive technology.” Knowledge abused in this way is not wisdom; it is foolishness and is a path to grave evils.
3. It is to spare us from the effects of knowing things that we cannot handle. The very fact that the Revelation text above describes this knowledge as “seven thunders” indicates that these hidden utterances are of fearful weightiness. Seven is a number that refers to the fullness of something, so these are loud and devastating thunders. God, in His mercy to us, does not reveal all the fearsome terrors that will come upon this sinful world, which cannot endure the glorious and fiery presence of His justice. Too much for this world are the arrows of His quiver, which are never exhausted. Besides the terrors already foretold in Scripture, the seven thunders may well conceal others that are unutterable and too horrifying for the world to endure. Ours is a world that is incapable of enduring His holiness or of standing when He shall appear.

What, then, is to be our stance in light of the many things too great for us to know and that God mercifully conceals from us? We should have the humility of a child, who knows what he does not know but is content that his father knows.

O Lord, my heart is not proud
nor haughty my eyes.
I have not gone after things too great
nor marvels beyond me.

Truly I have set my soul
in silence and peace.
Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap,
even so is my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
both now and forever (Psalm 131).

Yes, like humble children we should seek to learn, realizing that there are many things that are beyond us, that are too great for us. We should seek to learn, but in a humility that is reverence for the truth, a humility that realizes that we are but little children, not lords and masters.

Scripture says, Beyond these created wonders many things lie hid. Only a few of God’s works have we seen (Sirach 43:34).

Thank you, Lord, for what you have taught us and revealed to us. Thank you, too, for what you have mercifully kept hidden because it is too much for us to know. Thank you, Lord. Help us learn and keep us humble, like little children.

[Salvation]

Humility:

**Beyond these created wonders many things lie hid. Only a few of God’s works have we seen (Sirach 43:34).**

[Salvation]

Monsignor Pope Ping!

[LurkedLongEnough]

Thanks!

[Wolfie]

Bookmarked.

[BenLurkin]

What the heck is “Sirach”?

And how does the author confuse information we ‘can’t handle’ with information that is somehow “sinful” to inquire after?

[COBOL2Java]

What the heck is “Sirach”?

Give Wikipedia a go...

Sirach

[fruser1]

“with a rainbow above his head”

I guess the “7 thunders” refers to the 3-dollar bill crowd: LGBTIQA

[Salvation]

Get a Catholic Bible.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Get a Catholic Bible."

Or, as I would have said, "Get an unabridged Bible."

Always good advice.

[Salvation]

You’re just more tactful than I am! LOL!

[BenLurkin]

Okay. That’s half of the answer.

What’s the other half?

[BenLurkin]

Ah. Ecclesiatus is in my copy of the Apocrypha.

Never heard of it referred to as “Sirach”.

[ADSUM]

rumors, gossip, false accusations, spreading evil comes to mind.

[Mrs. Don-o]

I don't think Pope is equating info that "we can't handle" with sinfulness.

He does speculate that on God's part, one reason why He may withhold some info from us is that He is sparing us from things we can't handle.

But on our part, Pope mentions only two cases where the pursuit of info could be sinful. First, details about people’s private lives, which are none of our business. That would be violation of privacy. Second, info by which we can acquire destructive power over others.

Other than that, as I read it, Pope is saying that pursuit of some secret knowledge might lead to grief, may often be useless, but without necessarily being sinful.

[BenLurkin]

That makes sense. Thank you.

[Salvation]

Could an example be “Knowing why someone died”?

[Just mythoughts]

What happens before thunder? That is where the action is.

[Ezekiel]

There is also a reference to the underreported “seven thunders,” reminding us that there are some things that are not for us to know.

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke. And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, “Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down” (Rev 10:1-4).

Seven thunders (voices):

Psalms 29

1 <A Psalm of David.> Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

voice:

06963 qowl {kole} or qol {kole}
from an unused root meaning to call aloud; TWOT - 1998a,2028b; n m
AV - voice 383, noise 49, sound 39, thunder 10, proclamation + 05674 4,
send out + 05414 2, thunderings 2, fame 1, misc 16; 506

A few examples where kol is translated as thunder:

Exodus 9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
1 Samuel 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
Job 28:26 When he made a decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the thunder:
Job 38:25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars.

A rainbow is the visible spectrum of light, known by seven colors and thus named Roy G. Biv. What's in a name?

Mathematically in Hebrew, seven thunders and a rainbow are related:

A voice/thunder (kol, קול) = 136, thus seven of them = 136 x 7 = 952
A rainbow (kesheth, קשת) spelled in full = 186 (קוף, kuf) + 360 (שין, shin) + 406 (תו, tav) = 952

There's a lot more in that number, pertaining to other Hebrew name relationships, esp, WRT light, but that's the simple mathematical connection of a rainbow meeting up with seven voices. It's all perfectly organized and interconnected on multiple levels, unlike Establishment wisdom-babble that is out there purporting to be the voice of God.

You can even add the Hebrew colors* that spell the name Roy (meaning "king") in English, and the sum is 620, which is a keter (כתר), a crown, exactly what you'd expect to find on a king's head.

*
Red (אדום) = 51
Orange (כתום) = 466
Yellow (צהוב) = 103

= 620

Puns are the "lowest form of humor", so as Divine patterns plainly indicate, expect quite the elevation in status.

[Mrs. Don-o]

"Would an example be “Knowing why someone died”?

I'm thinking it depends on the circumstances.

For instance, if there is a possibility of criminal involvement, finding out "why somebody died" might be not just a right, but an obligation. That's what criminal forensic investigation is all about.

On the other hand, say an obituary appears in the newspapers announcing someone's unexpected death, and the cause of death is not listed in the obit. It could be that the next of kin or the deceased him/herself would not have wanted people prying out and discussing the details.

Prying into that sort of thing just to satisfy curiosity is, I think, unjustified. Gossip is wrong, and Scripture says we will have to account for every careless word.

[rwa265]

The first time I opened a NABRE, my question was where the heck is Sirach?