Questions regarding the Apocalypses (Revelations)

[chero23]

So I was having a conversation with my cousin, and she asked me how my relationship with my girlfriend is. I told her that religion is still separating us. I told her because of her religion it’s hard for a catholic to be with a seventh day Adventist.

Moral of the story is that her church believes, the church is the whore of Babylon and the pope is the antichrist. I told her that they draw that conclusion from revelations the last book of the bible. My cousin who is a so so bible knower, said that revelations is actually a poem, like a Greek mythology poem.

So is revelations literal, like a lot ppl make it out to be as a source for the end of the world or a poem ?

 

[Callin]

The Book of Revelation is perhaps the hardest book to understand in the Bible. Its imagery is certainly poetic and mysterious, very different from what we see in the rest of the New Testament.

At the same time though, we shouldn’t just write it off as a mere poem. Catholics believe it is divinely inspired, and such inspired literature tends to have greater significance.

As for whether it’s literal and whether it’s about the end times…we don’t know for sure. The Catholic Church does not teach much about what this cryptic book means, and its exact meanings have been debated for centuries. Some say it’s about the destruction of the temple, others the end times, others say all of history, perhaps even all three, or more.

One thing we can definitely learn from the book is humility. Just as this book is beyond our understanding, so is God in many ways. We must recognize our own shortcomings, and trust in God when our own abilities fall short.

 

[Fidelis]

The Book of Revelation is written in a type of style or genre called “Apocalyptic”, which itself is a sub-genre of Prophetic literature. It was very a very popular style of writing in the 1st century when the Book of Revelation was written and is highly symbolic in nature. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t true–quite the opposite- but it means that it was written as a type of “resistance language” that only those in the Church could draw the actual meaning out of.

You could probably study the Book of Revelation from a Catholic perspective and derive a great amount of benefit from it. Here are some resources that may help you in this regard:

The Navarre Bible Commentary on the Book of Revelation
amazon.com/gp/search/ref=br_ss_hs/102-2381711-9848916?platform=gurupa&url=index%3Dblended&keywords=navarre+bible

The End: The Book of Revelation, tape/CD series and Study Guide by Dr. Scott Hahn.
catholiccompany.com/end-study-book-revelation-p8001379/

The Lamb’s Supper, by Dr. Scott Hahn.
amazon.com/gp/product/0385496591/sr=8-1/qid=1148926012/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-2381711-9848916?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Rapture: The End Times Fiction that Leaves Truth Behind, by David Curie
amazon.com/Rapture-End-Times-Error-Leaves-Behind/dp/1928832725/ref=sr_1_1/105-8298365-5498833?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188139548&sr=1-1

Revelation Revealed, tapes/CD series by Michael Barber
saintjoe.net/3075

Coming Soon, a book on this same topic by Michael Barber
amazon.com/Coming-Soon-Unlocking-Revelation-Applying/dp/193101826X

Introduction To Prophecy, CD set by Steve Wood
familylifecenterstore.net/introduction-to-biblical-prophecy-6-cds/

However; that alone probably won’t help you with your girlfriend because she’s been trained to see it with Seventh Day Adventist goggles.You’ll probably have to learn how to refute her misconceptions from an apologetics angle, answering her charges one by one. For example, Catholic Answers has many helpful articles and tracts on these topics, for example:

Hunt-ing the Whore of Babylon

The Whore of Babylon

Seventh Day Adventism

Paganism, Prophecies, and Propaganda

Hope that helps.

 

[chimo]

So I was having a conversation with my cousin, and she asked me how my relationship with my girlfriend is. I told her that religion is still separating us. I told her because of her religion it’s hard for a catholic to be with a seventh day Adventist.

Moral of the story is that her church believes, the church is the whore of Babylon and the pope is the antichrist. I told her that they draw that conclusion from revelations the last book of the bible. My cousin who is a so so bible knower, said that revelations is actually a poem, like a Greek mythology poem.

So is revelations literal, like a lot ppl make it out to be as a source for the end of the world or a poem ?

May be it is good this seventh day adventist is learning a bit of Catholic truth. Where are they going to receive this truth if not from Catholics. I wouldn’t be concern too much about revelation as interpreted by Seventh Day Adventists. Jesus stated He will be with His Church and will defend it. That’s a pretty good promise from God. Since God cannot lie so to will His Church will overcome. The Book of Revelation describes a lot of scenery about the conditions which we all face and not normally it is the end we are talking about. There is references to a particular end when Jesus comes but this is something even our Lord talks about in the Gospels and is mentioned a lot in Paul’s epistles.

However I see these things regarding the end as conditional meaning that there has to be certain conditions which forces God to decide to end the planet. There can always be ways to avert the second coming because for God to continue this planet there must be enough penance, prayers and sacrifice to balance all that sinning. If the planet heads to a situation where God foresees the awfulness of people rejecting Grace then He may decide to end it. I tend to believe God will not come to the very worse time but prior to it. Since He is the saving business that will mean God will not let it go so far.

But I believe we are very far from that day. God has alot still to do to help Him convert this world. The Catholic Church was put here as well as the Eastern Church to be a major driving force to help witness for their Lord to help Him convert peoples. With the major Protestant Churches who are keeping many to stay with our Lord I am sure God uses them to help us as well. Soon the Lord God will surprise us because despite many problems, struggles and sufferings He is using this all to send forth many incredible Graces to convert many back to the Church. The Book of Revelation well it describes many situations that concerns us it should not distract us from our Lord who is constantly trying to win us over to become His witnesses and therefore our major concern is to witness for Him and to be a reflection of this love He has for us. I believe the Catholic Church as well as the Eastern Church is moving towards the greatest witness ever as many of her Laity are now just beginning to take this responsibility that was once only done by the clergy and monastics.

 

[roselily]

Come.

I am, who believe Revelation are signs of the end of this world.

I should like, from my whole soul, to pray our Lord Jesus Christ come soon; ans shall pray always now.

I read in Revelation full reviewed the prophecy in Daniel.

**Revelation 1
1The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.
3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.

Daniel 12
‘At that time Michael, the great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came into existence. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. 2Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.3Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.4But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.’
5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others appeared, one standing on this bank of the stream and one on the other. 6One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was upstream, ‘How long shall it be until the end of these wonders?’ 7The man clothed in linen, who was upstream, raised his right hand and his left hand towards heaven. And I heard him swear by the one who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be accomplished. 8I heard but could not understand; so I said, ‘My lord, what shall be the outcome of these things?’ 9He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are to remain secret and sealed until the time of the end. 10Many shall be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked shall continue to act wickedly. None of the wicked shall understand, but those who are wise shall understand. 11From the time that the regular burnt-offering is taken away and the abomination that desolates is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Happy are those who persevere and attain the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. 13But you, go your way, and rest; you shall rise for your reward at the end of the days.’

Revelation 10
And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He held a little scroll open in his hand. Setting his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, 3he gave a great shout, like a lion roaring. And when he shouted, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down.’5Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the land
raised his right hand to heaven
6 and swore by him who lives for ever and ever,
who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: ‘There will be no more delay, 7but in the days when the seventh angel is to blow his trumpet, the mystery of God will be fulfilled, as he announced to his servants the prophets.’
8 Then the voice that I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, ‘Go, take the scroll that is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.’ 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, ‘Take it, and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.’ 10So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it, my stomach was made bitter.
11 Then they said to me, ‘You must prophesy again about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.’ **