Are we meant to make complete sense of the Apocalypse?

[Justin_Swanton]

My conclusion, after many years thinking about it, is no. Parts of it can be interpreted in the light of history - ‘Babylon’ clearly refers to Rome, for example. But there are swathes of symbolic language that we will simply never know the meaning of until the Second Coming.

Proof of this: everyone, including the Church Fathers, has their own take on the book. There is no consensus of interpretation nor can there be one since St John does not give the key by which to interpret many of his symbols. One cannot even know for certain whether the Antichrist is an individual or a collectivity. Morale of the story: Ne altiora te quaeris - Do not try to understand things that are beyond your reach. Parts of the Apocalypse are ***meant ***to be beyond our reach until Christ makes everything clear at the Last Judgement. So handle the book with kid’s gloves.

That’s my two cents, but this is a thread, so (name removed by moderator)ut from anyone?

 

[COPLAND_3]

Great post! Though I do believe the book is deep enough to have a meaning for about every generation that reads it, but like you said, it contains things in it that we can only speculate the meaning until the time comes when those things unfold and made ready for those Catholics who are living out the prophesies and are meant to understand it, such as the mark of the beast, 2 witnesses, etc.

But I don’t believe that the book of Revelation should never be attempted to be understood. I think it should be approached with great zeal because it serves a great purpose for every generation that reads it. For one it assures us that God’s people will prevail in an ever-growing fallen world full of evil. Two, it gives us clues of the end that it keeps us reminded and alert. Also it has so much that is applicable to our own generation that can be applied to our own worship and our daily lives.

 

[georget]

Read Scott Hahn’s book “The Lambs supper”.