Outline of Session 9: Commentary on Revelation chapters 18-22. The Final Battle and the victory of Christ. The Thousand Year Reign as occurring now during the life of the Church. The First Resurrections as the conversion of the soul and forgiveness of sins through baptism. The Second Resurrection as the resurrection on the Last Day. The First Death as physical death, the Second as spiritual death. The New Heavens and the New Earth as the transformation and glorification of this world.
Catholic Commentary on
the Apocalypse
Studying the most
perplexing book of the Bible with the great Catholic Scholars
Session 9 – The Final
Battle, the Thousand Years, the New Heavens and New Earth, Revelation 18-22
Outline
of Session 9: Commentary on Revelation
chapters 18-22. The Final Battle and the victory of Christ. The Thousand Year
Reign as occurring now during the life of the Church. The First Resurrections as the conversion of
the soul and forgiveness of sins through baptism. The Second Resurrection as
the resurrection on the Last Day. The First Death as physical death, the Second
as spiritual death. The New Heavens and the New Earth as the transformation and
glorification of this world.
I. Review
of last week: The Seven Plagues, The Whore of Babylon
The Seven Plagues seem to be modelled in many ways on the Ten
Plagues of Egypt and the Exodus. The
whore of Babylon represents the Pagan Roman Emperor and worldly power, and the
city with seven hills represents the City of Rome – however, this does not mean
that St John is condemning the Church. Further, Babylon is not merely 1st
Century Pagan Rome but also all worldly powers that persecute the Church.
II. The Fall of Babylon
18:2 “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen” – note that the book
of Revelation does not follow a straight chronology, but is often cyclical.
Although the City is declared to have fallen, yet there is much war yet to
occur.
The Fall of Babylon represents the fall of all worldly power and
allurements which make war on the children of God.
18:4 “Go out from her, my people; that you be not partakers of her
sins, and that you receive not her plagues.”
-- Indeed, some of the Christians of Rome received mystical warnings and
fled the City before the sacking by Alaric in 410. Including Pope Innocent I
who is said to have been warned ahead of time, and to have left just before the
City was taken. Additionally, those who
remained in the City were spared if they escaped to the Basilicas of Sts Peter
and Paul which had been designated by Alaric as safe havens.
As the destruction of the City is proclaimed, much mention is made
of merchants and the great wealth of the City which enriched also the other
nations. This symbolizes that way that
Pagan Nations and worldly people enrich each other, but how all that wealth is
vanity which will be swept away.
Babylon then represents all the wicked in general even until the
end of time – it also has a particular preterist application to the City of
Rome, but not Christian Rome but only Pagan Rome.
III. He that rides upon the white horse
19:10 “And I fell down before his feet to adore him. And he saith
to me: See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of they brethren, who
have the testimony of Jesus. Adore God.”
-- While St Gregory the Great
believes only that St John was offering excessive veneration of the angel and
that this was not appropriate because we are raised to be equal to angels in
glory, St Augustine believes that St John truly mistook the angel to be God and
was corrected.
19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he
that sat upon him was called faithful and true” … 19:13 “And he was clothed
with a garment sprinkled with blood; and his name is called, THE WORD OF
GOD.” --
Clearly, this is the Messiah, the Lord Jesus, the Son of God and the
Eternal Word. This also reminds us of
the opening of St John’s Gospel, In the beginning was the Word. Likewise, this perhaps reminds us of the
first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse.
The image of the blood reminds us of Isaiah 43. We see Christ in
triumph, having vanquished his enemies. This is a very violent image.
We have a military battle image used: Christ and his army are
opposed to Satan, the beast, and the Antichrist and the army of the
wicked.
19:20 “These two were cast alive into the pool of fire, burning
with brimstone.” – We see that the punishment of hell is not to cease to exist,
but to exist forever in pain and torment. Satan is spiritually dead, but is
“alive” in the sense of continuing to exist and be punished forever.
IV. The Thousand Years
20:2 “And bound him for a thousand years.” – Satan has been bound
ever since the Lord’s death and Resurrection. By the establishment of the
Church and the preaching of the Gospel and the gift of the Sacraments, Satan’s
influence in the world is greatly bound.
“For a thousand years” – “Thousand” means “many” and is not to be
interpreted literally. Even as 144,000 is 12x12x1000, referring to the vast
multitude saved through the covenant of God with Israel and extended in the New
Testament to all Nations, the “thousand” years simply means “many” years.
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Excerpt from course on St Augustine’s City of God
On the
resurrection of living and the dead: Those whose souls are alive by grace their
bodies will be raised to eternal life, but those whose souls are dead in sin
their bodies will be raised to eternal death.
We speak of the “first resurrection” of the soul – meaning, the life of
grace in the soul in this life.
The
question of the 1,000 years of peace: “And I saw an angel come down from
heaven… Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on
such the second death hath no power; but they shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:1,6) [take a moment to read Revelation 20, which
discusses the 1,000 years, the first and second resurrection, Gog and Magog,
the loosing of Satan, etc]
To all
the speculation of the Millenialists, St Augustine emphasizes that we cannot
discern the day or the hour of the judgment. Further, to God, 1,000 years are
as a day and a day as 1,000 years.
Better yet, the time should be interpreted spiritually – the 1,000 years
signifies the fullness of all ages from the Ascension to the day of judgment,
and the peace of soul which the saints gain from God’s grace.
The
discussion of “the image of the beast” or “the inscription on the forehead or
hand” are those who belong to the City of Men, the Earthly City – who put their
hope in the world and take delight in worldly pleasures.
Gog and
Magog: “These nations which he names Gog and Magog are not to be understood of
some barbarous nations in some part of the world” but rather to all the nations
and peoples who belong to the Earthly City and where the devil has found his
home in the hearts of men.
What do
Catholics believe about the Rapture? There
are two judgments, the particular and the universal. Each of us faces the
particular judgment at the moment of death – the universal judgment is given to
all at the end of time. Thus, the rapture is false, because the universal
judgement will happen once and for all. No one will be “left behind”.
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V. The New Heavens and the New Earth
21:1 “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was god, and the sea is now no more.” -- Discussion of the new heavens and earth, and the glorification of all things. What will heaven be like after the resurrection on the last day?
22:10 “For the time is at hand” – In relation to eternity, the end is near. But to God a thousand years are as a day and a day as a thousand years.
22:12 “To render to every man according to his works.” – Not faith
alone!
22:18-19 – Clear indication that St John knew this book would be part of Scripture and also that this would close the whole of the Bible.
