Outline of Session 4: Commentary
on Revelation chapters 4-7. The Heavenly Liturgy is opened before St John, the
meaning of the Four Living Creatures and what the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse symbolize. The Scroll with
Seven Seals.
Listen online [here]!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Catholic
Commentary on the Apocalypse
Studying
the most perplexing book of the Bible with the great Catholic Scholars
Session
4 – The Four Living Creatures and
The
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Revelation 4-7
Outline of Session 4: Commentary
on Revelation chapters 4-7. The Heavenly Liturgy is opened before St John, the
meaning of the Four Living Creatures and what the Four Horsemen of the
Apocalypse symbolize. The Scroll with
Seven Seals.
I. Review of last week: The Seven Churches
A. The Book of Revelation as a communication of the knowledge
infused to Christ in his humanity to St John and then to all of us. All
supernatural revelation comes through Christ Jesus in his humanity. But Jesus
is not only man, he is truly God – the Alpha and the Omega. Revelation shows
the perfect Divinity and the perfect Humanity of Jesus
B. The Seven Churches and the Seven Angels: The Churches
symbolize all the Churches of the world, but also real historical communities
that were under the guidance and authority of St John. The Seven Angels are the seven bishops over
each community – these men were disciples of St John, including perhaps St
Timothy and St Polycarp, and a reference to St Antipas.
II. The Heavenly Liturgy
4:1 “After these things I
looked, and behold a door was opened in heaven […] Come up hither” – St John is
brought up into the heavenly liturgy. The visions he will now see are, as it
were, from heaven looking down.
4:2 “And upon the throne one sitting” – God the Father, in his majesty
and power
4:3 “There was a rainbow round about the throne” – God gave the
rainbow as a sign to Noah after the flood, that he would never again destroy
all men. This sign is a consolation as the Day of Judgment begins.
4:4 “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats; and
upon the seats, four and twenty ancients sitting, clothed in white garments,
and on their heads were crowns of gold.” – 24 is 12x2, which calls to mind both
the Old and New Testaments. Also, these
are “presbyters” which means “priests” and they are wearing liturgical
vestments.
4:5 “The seven spirits of God” – Could refer to the Seven
Archangels, or perhaps to the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
III. The Four Living Creatures
4:6-7 “Four living creatures, full of eyes before and behind […]
a lion […] a calf […] a man […] an eagle flying.” These recall the figures
revealed to Ezekiel (though slightly differences, as each of the four had all
four faces before). These can be taken to symbolize the four Evangelists, though
before St John had written his Gospel – The lion is Mark, the calf is Luke, the
man is Matthew, the eagle is John. Or again, the four Prophets of the Old
Testament – The lion is Isaiah in royal dignity, the calf is Jeremiah as priest
and victim, the man is Ezekiel whom God called son of man, the eagle is Daniel
who sores to the heavens with his high oracles.
4:8 “Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty” – The triple repetition
of “holy” to signify “most holy.” This Hebraic form will be important to keep
in mind.
IV. The Scroll with Seven Seals
5:5 “Weep not; behold the lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of
David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof” –
This emphasizes that Salvation is only through Jesus
5:6 “A Lamb standing as it were slain, having seven horns and
seven eyes” – The “lion” is the “Lamb once slain,” Christ is victorious in his
sacrifice. Notice the use of the image of Christ as the “Lamb” which is so
prevalent throughout Revelation, and is found in St John’s Gospel “Behold the
Lamb of God.”
5:8 “The prayers of the saints” – Notice throughout Revelation,
the union of the saints in heaven with the servants of God on earth. The saints
are interceding in our behalf, as the Church teaches.
5:10 “[Thou] has made us to our God a kingdom and priests” – The
priesthood of the baptized.
5:11-14 The Lamb receives the worship and praise of all creation
before he judges the earth. This is a book of praise and adoration of God, not
a book of gloom!
A. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Note that the first six seals are opened in rapid succession,
all in chapter 6. The seventh seal begins the seven trumpets and continues
through till chapter 11. The first four seals are the four horsemen.
6:2 “And behold a white horse, and he that sat on him had a bow,
and there was a crown given him, and he went forth conquering that he might
conquer.” – Many think this could be Jesus himself.
6:4 “Another horse that was red […] take peace from the earth
[…] a great sword was given him.” –The Second Horseman is War.
6:5 “A black horse […] a pair of scales” – The third represents
famine. Money can’t buy enough food.
6:8 “And behold a pale horse, and he that sat upon him, his name
was Death, and hell followed him.” Primarily represents plague and pestilence.
Note that these Four Horsemen fulfill what actually occurred in
the Roman Empire during the time of the persecution of the early Church. Christ
and his disciples went forth preaching the Gospel (symbolized by the bow), but
the Roman powers did not accept them. Thus, Rome was afflicted with many wars
and unrest, as well as with famines and plagues, until finally Rome should fall
and then be converted to Christianity.
6:9ff The Fifth Seal is the protection and consolation of the
saints who suffered martyrdom.
6:12ff The Sixth Seal is the terrible events prior to judgement:
“there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair:
and the whole moon became as blood: and the stars from heaven fell upon the
earth…” But this terror is for those who
rejected the Savior, not for the saints.
*some expound this also as the darkening of the pastors of the
Church.
B. The 144,000
7:4 “And I heard the number of them that were signed, an hundred
forty-four thousand were signed, of every tribe of the children of
Israel.” Notice that the “seal” takes on
a new meaning, for before the seals were opened to bring about judgment, but
now the saints are “sealed” with the sign of salvation. The seal is the sign of
the Cross, which is traced upon us at our baptism. Catholics make frequent use
of the sign of the Cross, but protestants do not. 144 is 12x12, and 1,000
signifies a vast multitude.
This destruction of all those who have not received the sign of
God calls to mind Ezekiel 9.
The book of Revelation tells the story of the triumph of the
faithful over the evils of the world which seems much more powerful but in fact
will pass away as quickly as a dream passes upon waking.
7:16-17 “They shall no more hunger nor thirst, neither shall the
sun fall on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb, which is in the midst of the
throne, shall rule them, and shall lead them to the fountains of the waters of
life, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.”
The seventh seal opens the seven trumpets and continues from
chapter 8 through 11.
