Outline of Session 6: Commentary
on Revelation chapters 12-14. These chapters are the heart of the book of
Revelation. The Woman who stands for Israel, the Church, and Mary. The Dragon
who is Satan as well as the Sea Beast and Land Beast. The mysterious number 666
and it’s meaning in the first century as well as for the end times.
[In fact, we only covered chapter 12, the Woman and the Dragon]
[In fact, we only covered chapter 12, the Woman and the Dragon]
Listen online [here]!
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Catholic
Commentary on the Apocalypse
Studying
the most perplexing book of the Bible with the great Catholic Scholars
Session
6 – The Woman, The Dragon, 666, Revelation 12-14
Outline of Session 6: Commentary
on Revelation chapters 12-14. These chapters are the heart of the book of
Revelation. The Woman who stands for Israel, the Church, and Mary. The Dragon
who is Satan as well as the Sea Beast and Land Beast. The mysterious number 666
and it’s meaning in the first century as well as for the end times.
I. Review of last week: The Seven Trumpets.
Example of how the horses and riders can be interpreted as referring to modern
warfare and the invention of guns/cannons.
II. From Chapter 11 to Chapter 12 – The Woman and the Dragon
11:19 “And the temple of God was opened
in heaven: and the ark of his testament was seen in the temple…” 12:1 “And a great sign appeared in heaven: A
woman…” -- The Ark of the Covenant was
lost in the days of Jeremiah, this was one of the greatest calamities that ever
befell the people of Israel. An even greater disaster was the destruction of
the Temple by the Romans in AD 70, when the Romans took the Temple they were
reported perplexed to find the Holy of Holies empty. But St John sees the restoration and
recapitulation of the Old Testament, with a new Temple and a new Ark and a new
Testament.
Chapter 12 is not only the middle chapter
of Revelation, it is the pivotal chapter and central to understanding the whole
book. Chapters 12-14 present the key
figures of the Apocalypse: The Woman, the Dragon, the Beasts, 666, the Lamb and
his saints. Recalling the outline of Revelation from session 2, we remember
that chapters 12-14 stand out from the recurring number 7 – we had 7 Churches,
7 Seals, 7 Trumpets, then these chapters, then 7 Vials, and the remaining
chapters.
“The Woman” – this is Israel, the Church,
and Mary.
“Clothed with the sun and the moon under
her feet” – the Sun is unchanging, the moon is changing; thus she is clothed
with immortality and all the changeable world is subjected to her.
“on her head a crown of twelve stars” –
12 signifies the Covenants of God with man, and the apostles.
2:2 “And being with child, she cried
travailing in birth, and was in pain to be delivered” – Israel suffered much
through persecutions in the Old Testament, until she should bring forth the
Messiah. The Church suffers much as she brings forth Christians through
enduring persecutions (the blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians).
Finally, Mary did not suffer any pains when she gave birth to Jesus, but she
suffered much at the Cross when she became the Mother of all Christians, and
she is united to the Church in all the persecutions we suffer on earth.
Discussion of the Virgin Birth.
2:3 “and behold a great red dragon” –
This is Satan. Calls to mind the serpent and the woman of creation and the
Fall. 2:9 “that great dragon… that old
serpent, who is called the devil and Satan”
“having seven heads, and ten horns” –
This all comes from Daniel 7. Seven heads refers to the 4 beasts: lion, bear,
leopard with 4 heads, Roman beast. 10 horns comes from the fourth beast of
Daniel. The heads and horns and diadems
symbolize all secular powers that persecute the Church.
2:4 “And his tail drew a third part of
the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before
the woman who was ready to be delivered” 2:7 “And there was a great battle in heaven,
Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels.”
– Discussion of the fall of Satan which seems to be a rebellion from the
beginning against the future promise of the Incarnation. Satan and his angels
refused to serve a God who would become a mere Man. Michael (his name is
humility, “Who is like God?”), not the greatest or most powerful angel but
lowly and humble, defeats Satan who was the greatest of all angels. [A few
comments on John Milton’s Paradise Lost – perhaps the greatest heretical
work in the English language]
Lastly, notice that the dragon assaults
the woman – and when Satan was cast from heaven, he attacked Eve not Adam. But
he did not know that Eve was only a type of the Woman, and Mary would crush his
head from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception.
2:14 “for a time and times, and a half a
time” – That is, 3 ½, which is a broken 7. The point is that the persecution
will not last forever but only a time. Similar to the two and forty months (13:5)
Why must we think that the Woman is not
only Israel and the Church, but also Mary? Because the other figures refer to
real historical persons: The child is Jesus, the dragon is Satan, Michael is
Michael; but which historical person could be this Woman if not Mary? We are
her children.
Discussion also of the Assumption of Mary
into heaven, as presented in Revelation 12.
III. Chapter 13: The Sea Beast and the
Land Beast, 666
13:1 “And I saw a beast coming up out of
the sea” – This is a different beast from the dragon, the Sea Beast. Symbolizes
all the enemies of the Church and especially the secular kingdoms and
governments of the world.
“having seven heads and ten horns” 13:2 “was like to a leopard … a bear … a
lion” – Obvious reference again to Daniel 7. These seven heads are seven
kingdoms. Haydock: “of these, five were then fallen, viz.: the Egyptian,
Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, and Grecian monarchies: one was present, viz., the
empire of Rome: and the seventh and chiefest was to come, viz., the great
Antichrist and his empire.”
The animal likenesses could reference
certain Roman emperors (Maximian Herculeus, Galerius Maximin, and Diocletian
who was like a ferocious lion). Many saints and theologians think this beast
could refer specifically to the Antichrist, but all this is difficult to
interpret with certainty.
13:3 “And I saw one of his heads as it
were slain to death: and his death’s wound was healed.” This could refer to the
Roman Empire which would become Christian under Constantine in AD 313 (the
mortal wound to the beast’s head), but then returned to Paganism and
persecution under Julian the Apostate ca 360 (the wound healed). It seems that the Land Beast represents most
especially Rome.
On the other hand, the wounded head
recalls that the heal of Mary and of Jesus have crushed Satan’s head, but the
devil still seems to have power on the earth.
13:4 “saying: Who is like to the beast?”
This is the opposite of the name of Michael.
13:6 “And he opened his mouth unto
blasphemies against God” – The language of Satan and of the damned is
blasphemy. We must not tolerate blasphemy in TV or movies etc.
13:8 “the book of life of the Lamb, which
was slain from the beginning of the world.” The Lamb once slain, is our Lord.
The crucifixion was planned from he beginning of the world, to heal the wound
of original sin and all actual sins. The
“book of life” touches upon predestination and divine knowledge.
13:11 “And I saw another beast coming up
out of the earth” – This is yet another beast, the Land Beast. This beast seems
to be connected more with false worship rather than specific earthly
governments.
“he had two horns, like a lamb, and he
spoke as a dragon” – The two horns symbolize heathen priests and
magicians. Notice a sort of unholy trinity:
The Dragon, the Sea Beast, the Land Beast.
This Land Beast is the prophet of the Sea
Beast – could be the prophet of the antichrist, or could be all the pagan
priests who promoted Roman idolatry.
“like a lamb” especially indicates an antichrist. Consider the
terrifying painting in the Cathedral of Orvietto. This could also refer to the Jewish priests
and Jewish persecution of the early Christians.
Or again this could be wicked Catholic priests.
Some think that the antichrist will be
Jewish, and his prophet will appeal especially to the Jews – even as the High
Priest of the first century worked with the Roman authorities to persecution
Christians.
13:12 “He executed all the power of the
former beast in his sight” 13:13 “He did great signs” – This refers to false
miracles that the antichrist and his prophet will work, imitating the true
Messiah.
13:18 “It is the number of a man: and the
number of him is six hundred sixty-six” – This number could represent Nero
Caesar. In Hebrew and Greek, letters are used to count numbers (before we had
Arabic Numerals). The name Nero Caesar in both languages adds up to 666. Also, the mark of the Emperor was put upon
all the coins, which fulfills the references to buying and selling.
*Note that some manuscripts say 616,
which is taken from the Latin version of Nero Caesar transliterated into
Hebrew.
Also, 666 symbolizes 6 three times, which
is to say all the power of the beast and of man – because man and beast was
made on the 6th day. Further, 6 is one less than 7 which symbolizes
heaven and perfection and covenant – thus, 666 is the greatest worldly false
covenant.
Does 666 refer to the end of the world?
Social Security numbers? COVID vaccine?
Religious syncretism? The EU and the Euro? Etc etc etc?
IV. Chapter 14: The Fall of Babylon and
Victory of the Lamb
14:1 “And I beheld, and lo a lamb stood
upon mount Sion” Just when all seems
lost, suddenly John sees the Lamb triumphant over all the power of hell, and
the faithful are saved!
14:8 “That great Babylon is fallen, is
fallen”
