The Book of Revelation is NOT about the end of the world

[whoisdiss]

We hear it all the time, “The end is near, Christ is coming to rapture his saints!” Famous televangelist, evangelical apologist, and books, have made the idea of the rapture and the “time of the antichrist in the seven year tribulation period” so popular. You don’t need to be a evangelical to understand what they’re talking about. The end of the world is on their minds and their primary source, the Book of Revelation!

Well, what if I told you the Book of Revelation has almost nothing to do with the end of the world? The Book of Revelation is not a roadmap to tell people how to get through such scary future events of the end. Infact it’s kind of the opposite. The Book of Revelation was written in a style modern scholars call “apocalyptic literature.” The Book of Revelation was written to encourage Christians that Christ will triumph over evil, and it was a warning to the evil forces of the world, like the Roman Empire, to repent or be judged! In fact, when Jesus says throughout the entire book, “I am coming soon.” he is talking about his coming judgment on the Roman Empire. Not his coming to rapture the saints and to start a series of events leading up to his second coming.

Symbols like the four horsemen, and the seven seals that unleash plagues are not to be taken literally. Instead, the author uses them as symbols to show that God will judge the Roman Empire. He never literally meant hail of blood will rain down on them, or that a army of locust would poison them. Things like the beast don’t talk about one person. The beast is symbolic for the Roman Empire. The author does use one character to symbolize the Roman Empire’s corruption, that is Emperor Nero. He uses his numerical name which is 666, so just in case the Romans got their hands on it, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about. Though Christians would know exactly who he was talking about. Symbols like the two witnesses symbolize the church, and it being persecuted, but eventually it will over come it’s persecutors. Things like the Whore of Babylon symbolize the capital city of Rome. All of these are just symbols for certain things, they are not literal as many evangelicals like to see them.

How do we know all of this? We know this because we find other Jews and Christians referring to them empire, and it’s capital, and the church and etc. like this. We need to look at Revelation in more of a historical context rather then a timeline of events in the near future. Revelation was a way of telling Christians, especially in the area we now call Turkey, to still have hope. Though we are being persecuted Christ is still in control! If Rome does not repent then Christ will judge them accordingly. And those who put all their faith and hope in Christ that he will conquer the evils of their world, then they will see the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Evangelicals just take it out of it’s historical context, Infact alot of Catholics do too. We shouldn’t try to interpret it as talking about the end times, because that was not it’s message. It’s message was of hope to the saints. So, I think we shouldn’t go to over board with the Book of Revelation. Let’s just read it how it is, and try not to interpret it as a roadmap for the future. That was never the intention of the author, and that was never the intention of the one revealing, Jesus Christ. And, even though Revelation was aimed more towards 1st century Christians to still have hope, Christians in the future who are going through times of tribulation can look to the Book of Revelation as a inspiration for hope.

Amen.

 

[Estel]

I agree with a lot of what you are saying, but I am still a bit anxious about future things. It seems to me that there are still certain scriptures that must be fulfilled that are not yet fulfilled. I thank you for posting this though, because I do struggle with the anxiety of the things to come, and it is nice to have a perspective that provides a more hopeful and less gloomy outlook. Be it literal or figurative, past or yet to come, or all four at once, the book still has a happy ending. Yes, there are certainly a lot of misinterpretations of the book. As G.K. Chesterton once said something like, “though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as some of his own commentators.” That being said, I admit I am anxious about the end still (since all scripture will be fulfilled one way or another) and I hope to see some more posts here that would help.

 

[whoisdiss]

We hear it all the time, “The end is near, Christ is coming to rapture his saints!” Famous televangelist, evangelical apologist, and books, have made the idea of the rapture and the “time of the antichrist in the seven year tribulation period” so popular. You don’t need to be a evangelical to understand what they’re talking about. The end of the world is on their minds and their primary source, the Book of Revelation!

Well, what if I told you the Book of Revelation has almost nothing to do with the end of the world? The Book of Revelation is not a roadmap to tell people how to get through such scary future events of the end. Infact it’s kind of the opposite. The Book of Revelation was written in a style modern scholars call “apocalyptic literature.” The Book of Revelation was written to encourage Christians that Christ will triumph over evil, and it was a warning to the evil forces of the world, like the Roman Empire, to repent or be judged! In fact, when Jesus says throughout the entire book, “I am coming soon.” he is talking about his coming judgment on the Roman Empire. Not his coming to rapture the saints and to start a series of events leading up to his second coming.

Symbols like the four horsemen, and the seven seals that unleash plagues are not to be taken literally. Instead, the author uses them as symbols to show that God will judge the Roman Empire. He never literally meant hail of blood will rain down on them, or that a army of locust would poison them. Things like the beast don’t talk about one person. The beast is symbolic for the Roman Empire. The author does use one character to symbolize the Roman Empire’s corruption, that is Emperor Nero. He uses his numerical name which is 666, so just in case the Romans got their hands on it, they wouldn’t know what he was talking about. Though Christians would know exactly who he was talking about. Symbols like the two witnesses symbolize the church, and it being persecuted, but eventually it will over come it’s persecutors. Things like the Whore of Babylon symbolize the capital city of Rome. All of these are just symbols for certain things, they are not literal as many evangelicals like to see them.

How do we know all of this? We know this because we find other Jews and Christians referring to them empire, and it’s capital, and the church and etc. like this. We need to look at Revelation in more of a historical context rather then a timeline of events in the near future. Revelation was a way of telling Christians, especially in the area we now call Turkey, to still have hope. Though we are being persecuted Christ is still in control! If Rome does not repent then Christ will judge them accordingly. And those who put all their faith and hope in Christ that he will conquer the evils of their world, then they will see the New Heavens and the New Earth.

Evangelicals just take it out of it’s historical context, Infact alot of Catholics do too. We shouldn’t try to interpret it as talking about the end times, because that was not it’s message. It’s message was of hope to the saints. So, I think we shouldn’t go to over board with the Book of Revelation. Let’s just read it how it is, and try not to interpret it as a roadmap for the future. That was never the intention of the author, and that was never the intention of the one revealing, Jesus Christ. And, even though Revelation was aimed more towards 1st century Christians to still have hope, Christians in the future who are going through times of tribulation can look to the Book of Revelation as a inspiration for hope.

Amen.

Guy’s, I needed to edit some things but now I can no longer edit… so I’m making a second thread of this to include my full edits. Here is the link, forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=901587

 

[robwar]

Op,
I would suggest you read “The Marriage Supper of the Lamb” by Scott Hahn which discusses Revelations and it’s relationship to the Mass. I think you would like it.

 

[marymary1975]

The correct teaching as to revelations and the end of times is in the CCC and is pretty well explained here: https: //www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/endtimes.htm

 

[1newcatholic]

I’ve been researching and studying Revelation for awhile, and I agree with your general premise–it’s not about the distant end of the world.

However, I’ve become convinced that popular, largely academic theories which make Rome the primary point of reference for Revelation are severely inadequate to handling the book consistently. Nero theories & such allow scholars to explain fragmented sections of text, but fail to account for large tracts of material.

There is a hidden story in the book of Revelation, but I would argue that it is not about the near or eventual fall of Rome.

Did you know that wise King Solomon received 666 talents of gold into his treasury every year?

Did you know that the Jeremiah and Ezekiel describe four destroyers who will target Jerusalem for its transgressions?

Did you know that the Destroyer is an evangelical symbol used also in John’s Gospel and Paul’s first epistle, in reference to an Old Testament incident that takes place in the land of Destruction (Num 21.1-8)?

Did you know that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and several other prophets describe Jerusalem as a prolific prostitute?

To the student informed by Christian scripture, the book of Revelation can be successfully and reasonably interpreted as an apocalyptic gospel, in which the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are symbolized in prophetic, allegorical sequences, which depict Christ’s ministry as the fulfillment of the Israel’s prophetic expectations, and as the catalyst for Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD. Rome is a player in this drama, but not the primary focus.

As far as I know, this reading is also generally compatible with Catholic interpretations of Revelation as a picture of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb which takes place during Mass.

This is sort of my niche area of study, so if you would like to talk about it more I’m game, though it is always risky to bring this topic up in a public forum. At least we share a common exegetical interest

 

[wildfood]

I have long believed that Revelation refers to the tribulation and suffering felt as a result of the death of the old man and that the New Jerusalem of Revelation refers to the birth of the new man.

IMHO, Revelation is symbolic of the death of the old man and the birth of the new man, of our transformation in Christ.

 

[whoisdiss]

I’ve been researching and studying Revelation for awhile, and I agree with your general premise–it’s not about the distant end of the world.

However, I’ve become convinced that popular, largely academic theories which make Rome the primary point of reference for Revelation are severely inadequate to handling the book consistently. Nero theories & such allow scholars to explain fragmented sections of text, but fail to account for large tracts of material.

There is a hidden story in the book of Revelation, but I would argue that it is not about the near or eventual fall of Rome.

Did you know that wise King Solomon received 666 talents of gold into his treasury every year?

Did you know that the Jeremiah and Ezekiel describe four destroyers who will target Jerusalem for its transgressions?

Did you know that the Destroyer is an evangelical symbol used also in John’s Gospel and Paul’s first epistle, in reference to an Old Testament incident that takes place in the land of Destruction (Num 21.1-8)?

Did you know that Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and several other prophets describe Jerusalem as a prolific prostitute?

To the student informed by Christian scripture, the book of Revelation can be successfully and reasonably interpreted as an apocalyptic gospel, in which the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are symbolized in prophetic, allegorical sequences, which depict Christ’s ministry as the fulfillment of the Israel’s prophetic expectations, and as the catalyst for Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 AD. Rome is a player in this drama, but not the primary focus.

As far as I know, this reading is also generally compatible with Catholic interpretations of Revelation as a picture of the Wedding Supper of the Lamb which takes place during Mass.

This is sort of my niche area of study, so if you would like to talk about it more I’m game, though it is always risky to bring this topic up in a public forum. At least we share a common exegetical interest

I don’t really see Revelation as focusing on the destruction of Jerusalem that much. That would mean it would have to be written before 70 A.D. Most scholars agree it was written sometime in the late 90’s of the 1st century. If you want to look for Biblical prediction for the judgment of the Jews with the destruction of the Temple, look at Matthew 24. Revelation and Matthew 24 are talking about two separate judgments. Matthew 24 is describing the judgment on the Jews for following the Old Law, and Revelation is describing judgment on the Romans for their persecution of Christians.