What exactly IS the Book of Revelations?

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I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
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Both and more. Its a scary topic for me because my mother when i was 7 just converted and spent way to much time on the fire and brimstone aspects of God.

I advise caution you don’t get worked up over the book. To this day I still have nightmares about angels and the four horsemen slaughtering mankind…

Shudder
 
There are many different Catholic views on the Book of Revelation (it’s singular, not plural), and the Catholic Church has clarified very little of it - mostly just to state what it doesn’t mean (for example, which interpretations are heretical) instead of what it does mean.

That means Catholics have a lot of wiggle room for discussing and debating it, because there are so many plausible interpretations. At the same time though, this means you shouldn’t be too worked up about what it means, because nobody knows but God.

Since so much of the book is beyond our understanding - but certainly not God’s - it teaches us to be humble. The book is also a reminder that whatever happens - whatever the events in the book mean - one thing is clear: God is in control of it all, and good will triumph in the end.
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? **And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today? **
Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
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I would recommend a book…the Lamb’s Supper…by Scott Hahn.

If you have not heard of Hahn, you will hear about him and his books quite a bit…all good read…and my recommendations too…Lord Have Mercy (regarding the sacrament of confession) and Hail Holy Queen (regarding the Marian dogmas).

catholiccompany.com/lambs-supper-mass-as-heaven-earth-p1001259/?aid=117&gclid=CKC339nUs68CFRGAhwodMVp_hw

In The Lamb’s Supper, Scott Hahn explores an amazing interpretation of The Book of Revelation that has been almost forgotten over time. He reaches back to the second through sixth centuries to the teachings of the early Eastern Fathers of the church. In his study of their writings, Hahn shows us the link between the celebration of the Eucharist and the end of the world. He illustrates how the heavenly worship found in the Book of Revelation is really an account of the Marriage Feast of the Lamb - a celebration of the Holy Eucharist.

Beautifully written in clear, direct language, this book by bestselling Catholic author Scott Hahn will help readers see the Mass with new eyes, pray the liturgy with a renewed heart, and enter into the Mass more fully, enthusiastically, intelligently, and powerfully than ever before.

If you enjoy the book, check out the EWTN 13-part television series hosted by Dr. Scott Hahn. Fellow author Mike Aquilina joins Scott in exploring the Biblical relationship between the Holy Mass and the Book of Revelation, whose Apocalyptic theme has both fascinated and perplexed Christians for centuries. In these superbly crafted teachings, we catch Scott and Mike’s enthusiasm for the Mass as source of the Christian inheritance Christ has prepared for us.
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
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The answer to this question, much to the dismay of many Christians, starts at Genesis 1:1. Revelation is at the end of the Bible for a reason. It is assumed that one has read and has a basic understanding of everything that came before it.

Asking “What is Revelation about” is like asking what the last chapter of the Lord of the Rings trilogy is about. The answer is, “Well… read the book”.

This is why daily reading of the Bible and formal Bible study is so important.

-Tim-
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
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Excellent questions, my friend, and I look forward to discussion! The following are only concepts which have helped me grow closer to knowing Jesus Christ, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are shared in attempts to answer the last question and hopefully help you grow closer as well.

As I try to interpret and understand the Book of Apocalypse and Revelation, I try my hardest to do so given the following understandings:
-We are all children of God because we are all created by Him for His Kingdom. Now whether or not we choose to subject ourselves to living according to His standards is a free choice each person must make on his/her own.
-Given that Catholic means All-Encompassing or Universal, I try my best to find interpretations of Scripture which will be universally applicable to every person.
-Since God commands us to perfect living according to the Greatest Commandments, He must be perfect at living accordingly. Therefore, the Spirit of God can be defined as: Always being and spreading the means to freely be perfectly patient and kind and motivated with all the body, spirit, thoughts, and will equally towards others and the self for the unbreakable peace and happiness of every relationship and the self. Given this goal for living, I try my best to ensure my interpretations are in alignment with growing towards this goal.

An Understanding of the Title and first line of the Book
According to Google, apocalypse can be defined as: An event involving destruction or damage on an awesome or catastrophic scale.

The Title according to DRB: The Apocalypse of Saint John
The first line is: The Revelation of Jesus Christ

One question becomes: how is it that the destruction of a person reveals Jesus Christ?
Please consider the following:
Catholicism knows God is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Catholicism knows God has written His Laws on every person’s heart.
Therefore, inside every person there is the Holy Spirit. However, since none of us are perfect, there is also the unholy spirit inside each of us. To understand the Holy Spirit in each of us, recognize that a spirit that is united with the Spirit of God is Holy. Just as a spirit that is not united with the Spirit of God is unholy. When we are living out of unity with the Spirit of God, our unholy spirit is a distinct person. When we are living in unity with the Spirit of God, our Holy Spirit is a distinct person.
Therefore, the universal interpretation of the title is referring to the destruction of the unholy spirit/person within you for the life of the Holy Spirit/person within you, which in turn reveals the unknown facts of Jesus Christ to you.

Thoughts?
 
What’s the meaning of the Book of Revelation?

*"The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come! And let him who thirsts come, and let the one who wants it take the water of life freely.” …

"[Jesus,] who gives testimony of these things, says, “Surely I come quickly.”

“Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!”*

Also, the Bible ends with God winning. 🙂

What the Book of Revelation is – well, it’s clearly a poetic record of a vision, composed in a genre drawing heavily on the style of other apocalyptic and prophetic works, but using Greek in a way that is radically unlike any other book in the Bible. (From what I hear, since I don’t read Greek.) So it’s sort of an experimental theological poetic style. (Just like we’d expect from John, trying to adequately put across a vision. The Gospel of John isn’t like anybody else’s Gospel, either, and neither are his letters like other letters.)

It’s got a very clever setup, where parts you read early in the book are mirror-imaged by later parts of the book. It’s almost like an onion, where you peel in through layers and go out again through layers, but the layers are connected all around. Most of the imagery is closely associated with the prophecies in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Ezekiel (not to mention our old buddy Isaiah), but the book draws upon practically the entire Bible, one way or another. So yeah, it’s a deeply Christian book by somebody who knew the Jewish Scriptures very well.

It’s mostly about Christ and His Church, and so it tends to move fluidly between heaven and earth, and between the end of time and normal human times. This is a bit disconcerting if you read it like a straight line narrative, but not if you remember it’s a poetic record of a vision. John’s not trying to be obscure and neither is Jesus, who gave him the vision. Some things just aren’t easy to put across, and especially if they involve eternal things and the destiny of the human race.

I love it a lot and find it very cheerful, mostly because I’m a freak like that. 🙂 But there have been a lot of great commentaries written about it by holy men and women down the ages, so I’m not the only freak out there. 🙂

You can find translations of St. Victorinus and St. Bede’s commentaries online, as well as a partial translation of St. Beatus’. I’m sure there are tons more to find.

Read with an open, interested mind, and don’t jump to conclusions too quickly. You’ll do okay. (Especially if you read Daniel and Ezekiel with all their footnotes first, because they help a ton.)
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
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There is never any reason to apologize for asking a question regarding anything. This is how we all learn…

There are different reasons for different people in reading the scriptures and it no surprise that you have questions regarding the book of Revelation… as it is one of the difficult ones to attempt to study and to get one type of direct message…

You can read it yourself, you can go online and find a number of commentaries which give their authors views…

I have been reading this book for over fifty years, and I have discovered new views in it.
However I do not read the scriptures in order to understand God or of his Salvation plans for my soul. I read it to become the Christian I feel God wants me to be.

You can start out seeking some information regarding this book here:

newadvent.org/cathen/01594b.htm
 
HI Ivory,

The general theme of Revelation (or Apocalypse) is the victory of good over evil. As is the case for many prophetical writings you can apply it on several levels :
  • the writer’s time : the state of the Church and its relationship with the powers that be with emphasis on the persecutions
  • the end times and the ultimate victory of Christ over the devil
  • the personal struggle of every Christian to vanquish evil in oneself
These themes intertwine and the book is filled with symbolic elements that require many footnotes.

Ultimately Revelations is the book of Christian hope : no matter what obstacles the Church and individual Christian may encounter, we will ultimately win out with Christ and through Christ.

Verbum
 
It is a book of “divine dramas” written in standard apocyliptic style, a struggle between good and evil…an apoclyliptic telling of the struggle of God and Satan…and the ultimate conquest of good and righteousness.

It draws imagery from the time of persecution of which it was written…it was an apoclyliptic volume to offer hope and consolation to those who struggled and suffered under persecution…the ultimate offering of hope and redemption.
 
I think the events in Revelation are events in which God reveals himself to mankind. It is a struggle of Good vs. Evil. “Gold refined by Fire”… Persecutions by the evil ones (fire) are used to refine God’s people (Gold). The refining process (persecutions) leads God’s people to repentance and into God’s Grace.
 
Apocolpse means unvieling as a bride is unvieled to be presented to her husband- ergo the Scott Hahn interpretation is extemely cogent to the meaning of Revalations.
 
rdscheirer said:
Apocolpse means unvieling as a bride is unvieled to be presented to her husband- ergo the Scott Hahn interpretation is extemely cogent to the meaning of Revalations.
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We know the Bride is the Church. Jesus is the groom.

Are you saying that the book of Revelation is a prophetic account of the marriage between the Church and Jesus?

Just to add… I have always interpreted the term “widow” in the Bible to mean the Nation of Israel.
 
Why would the “Nation” of Isreal be widow when they were the first to receive God’s Covenenant.
 
ivory said:
I understand that Revelations is a very complicated book, but what exactly should I take from it? Is it a prophecy of the end to come, or is it a metaphorical description of Christian persecution under Nero? Or is it somehow both? And how does Revelations apply to me as a Catholic today?

Sorry for the flurry of questions, but I’m genuinely curious.
Click to expand...
A very overlooked fact is that it is the revelation that God gave to Jesus Christ to give to John to give to the church.

Second overlooked fact is that depending on whom one cites, either half the book of Revelations verses are quoted or alluded to from the OT, some say, 275-350 allusions or citations from the OT.

Given the fact that the book of Revelation is permeated with OT allusions, one could say that the book of Revelations is a synopsis of the OT in apocalyptic imagery. This would seem to indicate a Divine authorship for those who would doubt either the OT or this particular book.

God’s peace
 
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