What to make of the book of Revelation?

  • Thread starter Thread starter dch1983
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
D

dch1983

Guest
The book of Revelation seems to be very much unlike anything else in the Bible, Old or New Testament. Religious groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses gather much of their theology from the book of Revelation (ie. only 144,000 will go to Heaven, etc). Many groups of fundamentalist Christians are, in my opinion, obsessed with ‘the rapture’, which is referenced regularly in the book of Revelation as well. It seems that there is not near the amount of emphasis put on this part of scripture in Catholicism, or even much of mainline Protestantism. Any thoughts/explanations on this? Obviously this is not the only place I am searching for answers on this topic, but I thought it might be a good source of discussion…
 
You ever read anything by Scott Hahn. You should read The Lambs Supper in it he explains how Revelation outlines our Liturgy… Its really good.

God Bless
 
In San Diego, at St. Ephrem Maronite Church was are studying the Book of Revelations in detail. These are some of the principles we are using to conduct the study.

If you are in the area, you are welcome to come!
 
Hi all,

I am new here but I saw this post and I could not resist. For a long time now I have been interested in prophecy. Have any of you ever heard of the Great Monarch of Catholic prophecy? I think his life and times are found in a few verses of Revelation and Daniel. As a matter of fact I just wrote a book about the Great Monarch. If anyone is interested here is a description of it:

Songs and Prophecies of the Great Monarch" is a concise and inspiring book covering the life and times of a mysterious figure found in prophecy called the Great Monarch. It includes: * A new and vital definition of prophecy. * A comprehensive set of prophecies of the Great Monarch as found in the Bible and private revelation. * Commentary and new insights into his prophecies. * His types found in history. * His royal bloodline. * A timeline of his life * And more. . . This is written for the light and comfort of all Christians and all those who seek God in these difficult days.

If anyone is interested here is a link to a free download:

lulu.com/content/430461

Climacus
 
Scott’s Hahn’s ‘The Lamb’s Supper’ is really good! Another book that also deals with Revelation as well as Daniel and the Olivet Discourses is ‘Rapture’ by David Currie.

The Church does not focus on the end times all that much because that was not the focus of Jesus’ message. It is also believed that much of what is spoken about in Revelation had already come to pass by the end of the first century. A large part of Revelation deals with the liturgy.

The two books mentioned above can explain this far better than I can. 🙂
 
Climacus,

Hello and welcome to the Catholic Answers Forums. I hope you have a blessed and uplifting time here.
  • Liberian
 
dch1983 said:
The book of Revelation seems to be very much unlike anything else in the Bible, Old or New Testament. Religious groups such as Jehovah’s Witnesses gather much of their theology from the book of Revelation (ie. only 144,000 will go to Heaven, etc). Many groups of fundamentalist Christians are, in my opinion, obsessed with ‘the rapture’, which is referenced regularly in the book of Revelation as well. It seems that there is not near the amount of emphasis put on this part of scripture in Catholicism, or even much of mainline Protestantism. Any thoughts/explanations on this? Obviously this is not the only place I am searching for answers on this topic, but I thought it might be a good source of discussion…
Click to expand...
I was indeed blessed to have attended a small group Bible study on Revelation earlier this year, we were all intrigued by the upcoming date of 6/6/6. June 6 , 2006. And so my spiritual director was gracious enough to lead us in a study on Revelation. BTW, his birthday was June 5th and we joked about it being the last great party of our time! Anyway, I learned about Apocryphal literature, and the order of the Mass. Revelation was written in a style of literature that conveyed truths with symbolism, and Catholics have always understood that - but the further away from the Catholic teachings you get, the further away you find yourself from truth.

I’m not an expert, but I hope this helps!
 
DCH1983,

The latter part of Daniel is somewhat like Revelation, although on a smaller scale. There is also a passage in Isaiah called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” by Bible scholars.

My summary of Evangelical “Rapture theology” is that it is a collective case of wishful thinking. It is, after all, very comforting to believe that God will remove you before the going gets tough. Unfortunately, a study of the history of the Church shows that God’s record of removing people before the going gets tough is abysmal. The Catholic Church, having this history as her own, knows better.
  • Liberian
 
My summary of Evangelical “Rapture theology” is that it is a collective case of wishful thinking. It is, after all, very comforting to believe that God will remove you before the going gets tough. Unfortunately, a study of the history of the Church shows that God’s record of removing people before the going gets tough is abysmal. The Catholic Church, having this history as her own, knows better.

Liberian,

I would think a trip down the Old Testament would show this as well. We know that God likes to use suffering to bring us closer to Him. In that case why would He spare His people if He knows it will help them come closer to Him? The fact is He wouldn’t.
 
Hi dch,

The reasons various sects go awry on Revelation is that they don’t understand the Apocalyptic genre. It contains many symbols that need to be interpreted, notably using numbers to communicate ideas.

Additionally, this particular biblical treatment uses prophecies that are valid on several levels. Thus, in Revelation, the fight between Good and Evil ends up with the victory of Good. In some passages there is a clear reference to the persecution of the Church by pagan Rome, but this is projected into the future to signify the ultimate victory of Christ against Satan and the resurrection and glorification of God’s people.

Thus Revelation, understood correctly, contains a message of hope for Christians of every era, both in their individual lives and as members of the militant Church. We have to fight evil, but with God’s help, we are sure of ultimate victory.

Verbum
 
Here are some resources to help you develop a well-balanced Catholic understanding of the Book of Revelation, biblical prophecy, and eschatology. All of these are HIGHLY recommended:

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.
saintjoe.com/p/prod_desc.pl?id=169

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
sophiainstitute.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SIP&Product_Code=72-5&Category_Code=Current

Revelation Revealed, tapes/CD series by Michael Barber
saintjoe.com/p/prod_desc.pl?id=909

Introduction To Prophecy, CD set by Steve Wood
familylifecenter.net/cart/product_detail.cfm?Id=613
 
Wow! Thanks to all of you for your responses. I actually bought Scott Hahn’s book a little while ago, but I’m in the middle of reading a couple of other books so I was planning to wait to start “The Lamb’s Supper”. I’ll have to get started on that soon and look into getting ahold of David Curie’s book as well. Clearly I don’t have a full understanding of this section of scripture, so thank you for the many suggestions.

And HailMary: Thanks for the invite! I’m on the other side of the country unfortunately, so I’ll have to do a private study for the time being.

God Bless!
 
dch1983 said:
Wow! Thanks to all of you for your responses. I actually bought Scott Hahn’s book a little while ago, but I’m in the middle of reading a couple of other books so I was planning to wait to start “The Lamb’s Supper”. I’ll have to get started on that soon and look into getting ahold of David Curie’s book as well. Clearly I don’t have a full understanding of this section of scripture, so thank you for the many suggestions.

And HailMary: Thanks for the invite! I’m on the other side of the country unfortunately, so I’ll have to do a private study for the time being.

God Bless!
Click to expand...
I can send you them if you like. The guy who gives them is amazing…let me know. I would be more than happy to share.
 
HailMary said:
I can send you them if you like. The guy who gives them is amazing…let me know. I would be more than happy to share.
Click to expand...
Are you talking about the same link that you sent above? If there is more, I would definitely be interested in having a look… if it’s not too much trouble for you of course. Thanks!
 
Oh, I’m sorry, I meant I can send you the mp3’s in a DVD of the Revelations bible study.
 
Can you upload them on a website so we can all listen to them? I can provide a website.
 
dch1983 said:
The book of Revelation seems to be very much unlike anything else in the Bible, Old or New Testament. …
Click to expand...
the book of Revelation IS like two other books of the OT, Ezekiel and Daniel, in that all 3 are apocalyptic literature, written to warn people about the consequences of disobeying God, and to console people who have undergone a cataclysmic change as a people. Ezekiel and Daniel were writing in the context of the Babylonian exile and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple c.587 BC, and John is writing in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem 67-70 AD. All three books should be read together as references, symbolism etc in Revelation are drawn is drawn from those two earlier books. All three books talk about how to live and keep the faith alive in times of trial and talk about restoration of the Temple and new Jerusalem as types of Heaven.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top