D
dostoyevskyfan
Guest
I used the NIV to cut and paste. I apologize. I usually read from RSV:CE
"1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea. "
My question is: How should Roman Catholics interpret this passage? Will there actually be a time when nature exists in peaceful harmony as described here by the inspired prophet? I’ve always been taught that the “wickedness” and “savage” aspects of nature, specifically the predatory aspect of beasts, are actually morally neutral actions/creations. Will there actually be a time when Christ establishes peace on earth, where vipers, lions, wolves, and other wild beasts will pose no threat to little children, adults, and other animals? Or is Christ’s kingdom purely spiritual? Or both?
"1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
or decide by what he hears with his ears;
4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
5 Righteousness will be his belt
and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest.
9 They will neither harm nor destroy
on all my holy mountain,
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
as the waters cover the sea. "
My question is: How should Roman Catholics interpret this passage? Will there actually be a time when nature exists in peaceful harmony as described here by the inspired prophet? I’ve always been taught that the “wickedness” and “savage” aspects of nature, specifically the predatory aspect of beasts, are actually morally neutral actions/creations. Will there actually be a time when Christ establishes peace on earth, where vipers, lions, wolves, and other wild beasts will pose no threat to little children, adults, and other animals? Or is Christ’s kingdom purely spiritual? Or both?
This future everlasting peace is sometimes referred to as “eschatological peace.”