Transcript

Let's go ahead and start off, and pick back up with a word of prayer.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

We'll ask our Mother Mary to please pray for us for this second segment of tonight's reflection.

That by the power of the Holy Spirit, our minds may be strengthened, and may be keen and sharp as we penetrate the divine mysteries of this Book of Revelation.

And may our wills be empowered, uh, to go forth and to live out the Christian life in light of the words that are revealed to us in this, um, sacred book of Divine Revelation.

And may our wills fall more deeply in love, uh, with Jesus Christ, with the Father, and with the Holy Spirit.

And so we pray, Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Okay, so we're picking back up with our second major component of tonight's reflection, and that is the Heavenly Liturgy, and the Heavenly Temple unveiled beyond the door that Jesus was knocking on there in Revelation 3:20.

As I mentioned, uh, prior to the break, Jesus is knocking on the door in Revelation 3:20, but the door actually opens in chapter four, verse one.

And as we go through Revelation chapters four and five, we find all sorts of liturgical details.

And so we're gonna run through these liturgical details and draw the theological, draw out the theological conclusions.

Uh, the first liturgical detail that we encounter is in Revelation 4:3.

We read about jasper and carnelian.

Now, what's interesting is that these are the same type of stones that were worn on the breastplate of the high priest when he ministered i- within the temple, as indicated by Exodus 28:17-20, okay?

So John has this Heavenly vision behind the door, and he sees these stones, jasper and carnelian, which for the Jew calls to mind the high priest with the breastplate.

Where did he minister?

In the temple.

So what's the significance of that?

John is having a vision of the Heavenly Temple, right?

The Heavenly Temple where there is a Heavenly Liturgy taking place.

Uh, the next liturgical detail would be the 24 elders or presbyters in Revelation 4:4.

St. John describes how he saw these 24 elders surrounding the throne of the Lamb, and the Greek word there for elders is presbyteroi, which is a term that was used for distinct order of men in the New Testament church who had specific ministerial functions to serve the people of God.

And these functions were indeed priestly.

So, in other words, these are 24 priests, but what's interesting is that the number 24 is liturgical and significant in light of the Old Testament.

Because in 1 Chronicles chapters 24 and 25, we discover, uh, how King David divides the Levitical priests, or divides the priesthood, the Levitical priesthood into 24 divisions for the purpose of serving the temple.

And there would be these 24 different groups would be assigned to a specific month to serve in the temple, right?

So each division, each group would have a month assigned to them.

But there were 24 groups because there was a morning session of adoration and service in the temple, and an evening service in the temple.

So morning and evening.

So each group would be assigned to a particular month where they would be serving in the morning, and then another group serving in the evening for that particular month.

So there were 24 different groups of Levitical priests that David constituted to serve in the temple.

And so John now sees 24 presbyters, 24 New Testament priests.

So the number 24 in and of itself signifies that these guys are priests.

And where are they?

In Heaven.

What are they doing?

They're ministering before the presence of the Lamb and the presence of God.

So what does that tell us about what Heaven is?

It's the Heavenly Sanctuary, you see?

It's the new temple.

Thirdly, John talks about how he sees flashes of lightning and voices and peals of thunder in Revelation 4:5.

This too is liturgical imagery, because peals of thunder and lightning and voices, uh, excuse me, flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, would call to mind the liturgy from Mount Sinai.

Remember, the very purpose of the Israelites' exodus and deliverance from Egypt was to worship God at Mount Sinai.

And so Mount Sinai is a liturgical experience, and that's where God is present.

Flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, so it signifies God's presence and it'll, it's a liturgical celebration.

So for John to write how he sees flashes of lightnings and hears peals of thunder signifies that God is present at this new Sinai, you see?

And it's the Heavenly liturgical celebration.

And what was the liturgical celebration for at Mount Sinai?

The ratification of the Old Covenant between God and his people.

Well, what is the significance of this liturgical celebration in Heaven?It's the ratification of the new covenant between God and his people, the church established by Jesus Christ, the messianic people.

You see how this reading the new This principle of reading the new in light of the old sheds light upon what John is seeing.

Another liturgical detail, the seven torches in Revelation chapter four, verse five.

Seven torches call to mind the seven lampstands or the seven-branched candlestick, the menorah, located where?

In the holy place of the temple.

So John's vision of the golden lampstands calls to mind the inner holy place of the earthly temple.

So John is getting a tour of the heavenly temple.

In Revelation chapter four, verse six, John talks about how he saw a sea of glass.

A sea of glass.

Well, for a Jew, this would call to mind the large bronze water basin, or laver, that God actually commanded Moses to put right outside the holy tent of meeting.

So you had the altar of sacrifice in the outer court, and then Which was located by the steps going into the holy place of the holy tent of meeting.

But then you also had this bronze laver of water, where the priests would wash their hands in, right?

The ritual washings and then also washing their hands from the blood of the sacrifices that they had just offered on the altar.

And that bronze laver of water in the Jewish tradition was, uh, understood as a sea.

It represented the sea, okay?

Because the temple was seen as a mini-cosmos, a mini-universe.

The bronze laver represented the sea.

You had stars and constellation of stars on the temple veil, okay?

The, the, the seven-branched golden candlestick, the menorah.

The light on the menorah signified, in the Jewish tradition, the light of the sun, the light of the moon, the light of the stars.

So the temple structure was a Sort of a mini-cosmic structure.

And so the bronze laver symbolized the sea.

Well, John sees a sea of glass, right?

So he is getting a tour of the heavenly temple structure at the temple sanctuary.

Okay.

Uh, we also s Read about four living creatures in Revelation chapter four, verses six through seven, and John describes these four living creatures as appearing as, one as a man, one as a bull, one as a lion, one as an eagle, right?

Now, there are two Old Testament backdrops to this heavenly vision of these four living creatures and the way he sees them.

First of all, it calls to mind Ezekiel's vision of these four living creatures that he identifies as heavenly cherubim, okay?

So Ezekiel identifies these four living creatures as angels.

And where are these angels ministering in Ezekiel's vision?

In the heavenly throne room, all right?

Before the throne of God.

And so John, like Ezekiel, get i- is getting a tour of the heavenly throne room where God is present, which is revealed to be a heavenly sanctuary, okay?

So Ezekiel's vision serves to be an Old Testament backdrop for these four living creatures.

Now, what's also interesting is that these four living creatures, and particularly the manifestations that they have, calls to mind the tabernacle that Moses built in the wilderness, which would be a liturgical setting, right?

How so?

Well, these four living creatures appearing as a man, a bull, a lion, and a eagle calls to mind particularly the four tribes of Israel that were located at the four corners of the tabernacle in the wilderness.

What's the connection?

Well, these four tribes located at the corners of the tabernacle were associated with the zodiac, all right?

The zodiac, uh, referred to the four parts that the ancients divided the heavens into, and the zodiac is associated with these four images.

Lion is referred to as Leo, a man, the image of a man associated as Aquarius, a bull, Taurus, and the eagle, Scorpio.

That's the, the zodiac, the four parts of the heavens, okay?

And in the Jewish tradition, those four tribes at the tabernacle, right?

Were identified with the four images of the zodiac.

Judah was associated with the lion, Reuben was associated with the man, Ephraim was associated with the bull, and Dan was associated with the eagle.

These are the four tribes located at the four corners of the tabernacle.

Now, why in the world would the Jews associate these four tribes with the four parts of the heavens, the zodiac?

Because they understood that the tabernacle was what?

A mini-cosmos.

It was a cosmic structure, okay?

All right, so, so that's the Old Testament background.

Now, take that knowledge into John's vision in Revelation chapter four, verses six through seven.

He sees four living creatures, okay?

And then these four living creatures are associated with these images.

What's the point?

John is seeing and getting a tour of the heavenly tabernacle.

A tabernacle not made by human hands, but a tabernacle made by God.

The heavenly sanctuary.

Yes, question?

Those are the same, uh, symbols that are associated with the four evangelists.

That's, that's right.

That's right.

And so there, the That's right.

There's, there's continuity there.

And so, um, we've We would associate these I, I don't know the details of that tradition, so I can't speak this definitively, but I What we can say is that these images associated with the four evangelists comes from that tradition, to show continuity, right?

Between the four evangelists who represent the new law of God and these four tribes of the old covenant who represent the old covenant.

So it's this old covenant, new covenant aspect to it, to show the continuity between the two.

But yet, not only continuity, but transformation, and restoration, and fulfillment as well, okay?

But very good insight.

Yeah.

Yes?

They say the, the images that go along with the Gospels are inspired by the way the Gospel begins.

That's, that's something I didn't know, Steve.

I'd have to check into that.

I don't know.

I- I- I'd have to read that in the commentaries.

That's interesting.

Matthew is the man that starts out with the lineage.

Son of Adam, yep.

Son of Adam.

Uh, John is the eagle.

'Cause he soars high theologically.

I've heard that, correct.

Yeah, yeah, I- I- I haven't done much reading on that, uh, but I'm sure there's some truth to that, that they would be associated with these things precisely because of the characteristic of their writing style.

Yeah, amen to that.

Okay, Revelation 4:8-10, we find more liturgical details.

We read the, the Sanctus, the holy, holy, holy, right?

These angels in Heaven are praying the Sanctus, just like the angels in Isaiah 6. Uh, when Isaiah gets his vision of the heavenly throne room, he sees the angels singing the Sanctus.

John sees the same angels singing the Sanctus in the heavenly throne room in the Book of Revelation.

So once again, it's a liturgical setting.

Uh, in Revelation 5:6, Saint John sees the lamb, who is Jesus, standing as though slain.

Uh, wh- how is this liturgical?

Well, this would obviously call to mind the Passover liturgy, which involved, uh, eating the flesh of the Passover lamb, right?

The lamb of God.

And we know that from the New Testament tradition that Jesus is the true lamb, and that's why John sees Jesus with the imagery of the lamb.

But notice he's standing, which signifies his resurrection, but yet slain, which teaches us that the sacrifice of Christ, the crucified Christ, and the offering of Christ to the Father is made present in the eternal realm of Heaven.

That it's not confined to space and time, but actually transcends it, and is eternally present before the Father in an unbloody manner, which is basically the theological basis and the Biblical basis for the theolo- theology of the Catholic Church's understanding of the mass being what?

The sacrifice of Christ.

More to come in the future on that.

Amen?

Okay.

So, we have the slain lamb and, uh, the idea of the eternal sacrifice of Christ calling to mind liturgy.

We also have incense in Revelation 5:8; we mentioned this last week.

Uh, this would call to mind the temple liturgy because the priest would go into the holy place of the temple to offer incense at the altar of incense, okay?

So here we have another liturgical image.

And then finally, harps.

He hears harps being played in Revelation 5:8, which according to 1 Chronicles 25:6-31, harps are liturgical instruments.

Harps are played by the Levitical priests who ministered to the Lord through song and through praise in the temple sanctuary, mkay?

So all of these liturgical details suggest that John is getting a tour of the Heavenly temple.

There's a new temple.

Now, folks, if John is getting a vision of a new temple, what does that signify?

What does that imply?

The old temple is passing away, you see?

There is no longer a need for the old temple because there is a new temple.

Very similar to the prophes- to the visions of Ezekiel and Isaiah.

When they get a vision of the Heavenly throne room and the temple and the liturgical setting, it's to signify that the earthly temple is gonna be destroyed, which did take place in 587 B.C., and the same would take place in 70 A.D.

when Rome would destroy Jerusalem.

Now, so, uh, that leads us to the last idea, or, uh, in regard to the Heavenly liturgy, and that is the significance of the unveiling of the Heavenly liturgy.

The temple liturgy of the old covenant is coming to an end and making way for the new temple liturgy in the new covenant, the liturgy of the new temple which is the Heavenly liturgical celebration, mkay?

So the old is passing away.

Behold, the Lord is making things new.

And my dear friends, it is that liturgical celebration, it is that new temple liturgy that we as Christians participate in when we attend the holy sacrifice of the mass because that Heavenly liturgy transcends time and is brought down in the here and now behind the veil of the census.

It is that same reality that we experience in a sacramental way through signs and through symbols.

But nevertheless, it's the same reality.

So we are experiencing the same Heavenly liturgical celebration as John is experiencing here in the Book of Revelation.

This is where we go when we go to mass, or this is what is brought to us when we go to mass.

Two ways of looking at the same reality.

So that's the significance of the unveiling of the Heavenly liturgy.

Now, let's take a look at the scroll that we read about in chapter five.

What's interesting is that this scroll, uh, has, as I mentioned before, economic significance.

And by the way, it's ɔikonomia.

It's with an M. I know I landed on the N, but I made a mistake.

I was having a brain freeze there, okay?

Uh, ɔikonomia, uh, ɔikos nomos, household plan.

This is the w- Greek word from which we get the English word economic, right?

Economy.

But for the early Christians, they used that word in reference to how God interacts in human history and works out his masterful plan of salvation, mkay?

And that refers to the whole history of salvation.

Well, the scroll here has economic significance because what we discover is that the scroll in Revelation 5 is the terms of the new covenant.

It's the new covenant law.

It's the new covenant document.

You see?

And then also associated with the new covenant is this theme of the restoration of the Davidic kingdom, which would bring to fulfillment all of the prophecies from the Old Testament about the restoration of the Davidic kingdom, okay?

So let's take a look at this.

First of all, the scroll is the new covenant document and it's being opened by the Davidic Messiah.

So, let's look at the scroll as the new covenant document.

Reason number one that we know that the scroll is the new covenant document is because of the number of seals on the document.

How many seals? seven seals.

Well, as I mentioned previously, uh, the number seven in Hebraic symbolism signifies covenant, because the very Hebrew word for seven is shaba or shaba, however you pronounce it, spelled S-H-A-B-A.

So it signifies covenant by virtue of t- the very word.

But further, seven also has covenant symbolism be- precisely because of the two numbers that add up to seven.

In the Hebraic numerical system, the number three already had a heavenly connotation to it, and the number four already had an earthly connotation.

The four corners of the Earth, the four, uh, parts of the heavens, the zodiac, right?

The four winds of the Earth.

So four is temporal, earthly.

Three is heavenly.

Think of holy, holy, holy, right?

God is highest in holiness b- by virtue of the threefold repetition.

Now, when you have heaven, three, and four, Earth, coming together, what do you get?

Seven.

So in the Hebraic symbolism, seven represents the unit- the union of heaven and Earth, which is covenantal.

This is why God rests on the seventh day in the creation story, to symbolize that God has entered into a covenantal kinship binding relationship with creation and the human race.

You see?

And so the seven seals on the scroll signify that this scroll is the new covenant document.

The terms of the new covenant are located in the scroll.

Now, can you think of something else as Catholics that we associate with seven?

Yes.

Seven sacraments, that's right.

Why?

Because these are the seven oaths.

These are the These represent the new covenant s- rituals in which we receive the grace of God, the life of God.

You see?

So seven sacraments signifies the new covenant.

So, the scroll is the new covenant document.

Now, also too, in the ancient tradition, uh, seven witnesses were necessary for making covenant documents, particularly like a testament.

When somebody would make a will and testament, it was, the, it req- it required seven witnesses to attest to the authenticity of the testament, of the covenantal document, right?

And that document, that testament would be sealed and could not be opened until the death of the author of the testament, of the will and testament.

And so seven witnesses, the number seven finds its origin also in this historical context as well.

Seven witnesses needed for the sealing of a covenantal document.

And so the seven seals, once again, signifies that this is a document, a covenantal document, precisely the document for the new covenant.

The second reason why we know the scroll is a covenantal document, because it's written on front and back, according to Revelation 5:1.

Now, that's interesting, because guess what else was written on the front and back?

The tablets of the decalogue.

In Exodus 32:15 we read, Moses went down with the two tablets Excuse me, Moses went down with the two tables, tables that were written on both sides.

And that would be referring to the tablets.

So the two tablets of the decalogue were written on the front and the back.

Well, that represents the old law, right?

Well, this scroll is written on the front and the back.

So what does that represent?

It's the new law.

It's the law of Jesus Christ.

It's the Word of God for the New Testament church.

You see?

So there's continuity there.

So in conclusion, the idea is the scroll represents that the old covenant is passing away and being superseded and fulfilled by the new.

New.

Which is very significant for that first century church that was dealing with the Jewish community and those Jewish converts to Christianity.

And those Jewish converts to Christianity, some of 'em were still holding onto that old covenant, saying you gotta be circumcised to be saved, you still gotta go to temple and offer your lamb for sacrifice, you still gotta offer your, your turtle dove, you still gotta do the ritual washings, and all of the 600 and, uh, I think, what, 13 precepts of the Levitical law.

But in this revelation we see, no, no, no, the old covenant is passing away and it's being superseded and fulfilled by the new covenant in and through Jesus Christ, and in and through the church, right?

All right, now.

The scroll is a new covenant document that's opened by the Davidic Messiah.

So there is an association with the theme of the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.

Okay?

And we see that Jesus is revealed to be the Davidic Messiah first of all in Revelation 5:5, where we read how Jesus is the lion from the tribe of Judah.

Right?

Weep not, lo, the lion of the tribe of Judah is come.

Now, how does this, how does this detail suggest that Jesus is the Davidic Messiah, the messianic king prophesied of old, right?

Well, if we know the prophecy of Genesis 49, we see the significance.

In Genesis 49:8-10, remember, uh, Jacob, whose name is changed to Israel, is dying here, right?

And in Genesis 49, he blesses Judah in a very special way, and here's what he says to Judah.

I'm gonna jump down there towards the end of the quote.

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until the, he comes to whom it belongs, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

That is, the foreigners, the nations, the non-Israelites.

So Jacob, or Israel, prophesies that from Judah's lineage would come a great king.That's what the scepter signifies.

And that all the nations of the earth would serve that king, and give obedience to that king.

So note, we have an implicit prophecy of the universality of the kingdom that would be established by the Messiah, right?

The Anointed One.

And so for John, in his revelation in chapter five, to speak o- or to hear, or to see, or to be, for it to be revealed to him that Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah, that immediately calls to mind Genesis 49.

Jesus is this descendant of Judah because he's of the tribe of Judah.

He's a descendent of Judah that was prophesied by Jacob or Israel.

And so Jesus is that king who has the scepter.

And guess what?

To him belongs the obedience of all the peoples of the earth.

And so Jesus has a universal kingdom.

And that universal kingdom is what?

The church, the Catholic Church.

So my dear friends, when we obey Jesus and we submit and we worship him and we adore him, we're a part of that prophecy of Jacob.

We're fulfilling that prophecy that Jacob prophesied about so long ago.

Okay.

Second reason why we know Jesus is the Davidic Messiah here in Revelation 5 is because we read that he is the lion of the tribe of Judah, but also the root of David.

Okay?

The root of David.

Now remember, God had promised to David in 2 Samuel 7 that his son would sit upon an everlasting throne, and then in the Psalms we read that, that, that kingdom of the son of David would be universal.

Okay?

But there's, there's something even further back in the Prophet of Isaiah and Isaiah 11:1, where we get the Messianic prophecy of the Anointed One by the Spirit of the Lord.

We read, There shall come forth a chute from the stump of Jesse, and the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him.

Right?

So who is Jesse?

The father of David.

Okay?

So for John to hear that Jesus is of the root of David also alludes to and calls to mind this prophecy of Isaiah, that there will be a chute coming from the stump of Jesse, the s- father of David.

Now, why is Jesse's house, uh, portrayed as a stump?

Because the Davidic Kingdom at the time Isaiah is writing about this Well, D- Isaiah is prophesying that the Kingdom of David would be destroyed, cut down, but there would be a chute that would sprout up, right?

And that chute is Jesus Christ.

So we see in Revelation 5 that Jesus is the Messianic Davidic King.

So therefore, the scroll, the conclusion is, is that the scroll brings about the fulfillment of the Davidic prophet promises.

In the scroll we find the terms of the new covenant inaugurated by Jesus Christ, the Messianic king, who actually restores the Davidic Kingdom.

So all of those prophecies are coming to fulfillment in and through Jesus and the church that he is, he, he establishes.

That's the fundamental point.

So once again, we have this m- reading the new, this principle of reading the new in light of the old and trying to see the connection between the two.

Now, the second clue that we have for the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom is this idea of singing a new song in Revelation 5:9.

When you read Revelation 5:9 you discover that they're singing a new song.

It talks about a new song to be sung.

Now, for a Jew that would immediately call to mind the very first Exodus when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt through the waters of the Red Sea.

Once they were free from the Egyptian slavery in Exodus 15:1-18 we read about the song of Moses, right?

So Moses sings this song at the outset of the Exodus in, in, in praise of God for the deliverance.

So the song of Moses is associated with the first Exodus, right?

Well, in the prophecies of the i- i- history of the Israelites, in the Prophecies of Old, it was foretold that in the Messianic day there would be a new song.

And you can read about this Psalms 96 through 100.

There would be a new song to be sung in the Messianic Age.

Well, if there's a new song to be sung in the Messianic Age, what would that imply?

A new Exodus.

Right?

Because the first song was associated with the first Exodus so if the Psalms speak of a new song to come in the days of the Messiah, that would be like a new Exodus.

So God's people is gonna be set free from their enemies, God's gonna save his people, is gonna lead them to their homeland, a new Jerusalem, a new temple and all of that good stuff.

Well, it was also implied within the new Exodus, the prophets foretold that the son of David would lead that new Exodus, and that the son of David would be a shepherd over the flock of God.

The son of David would govern and rule over God's people reunited in the Messianic Age with a new Jerusalem and a new temple.

And so here's St. John having a vision of a new song, so that means there's a new Exodus being led.

If there's a new Exodus, that means there's the son of David, the Messianic King.

And if there's a new song, a new Exodus and the Messianic King, that means there's a new temple and a new Jerusalem.

And how does John describe heaven?

As the heavenly city of Jerusalem, as a new temple.

You see?

So we have all of this prophecy coming to fulfillment in John's heavenly revelation.

And John would've known this stuff because he was a good Jew.

He knew his Old Testament Bible.

Amen.

He was a good Bible Christian.

Okay.

So once again, the interpretive application is that there is a new Exodus and the reestablishment of the Davidic Kingdom, which is inaugurated and comes about in and through Jesus and the church.All right.

Clue number three that this is the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom: so we have this motif for the restoration of David's kingdom, which was indeed the Messianic hope, okay?

So we're trying to read this like a Jew would have read it or heard it within the first century, and try to feel the excitement of the Jewish people.

And that excites us.

I don't know about you, but it excites me to know that I'm a part of that Father's plan of salvation, that I'm a part of the fulfillment of the prophecies, and that what the prophets could only foretell and long to taste, I get to taste it.

Amen?

Amen.

Right?

Literally, in Holy Communion, all right?

Okay, so one another clue is the parallels, um, with the prophecy of Daniel 7, the parallels between John's vision in chapters four through five, particularly chapter five, and Daniel chapter seven, okay?

What does Daniel prophesy about in chapter seven?

Well, Daniel has a vision of the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds, right?

Within the reign of the fourth beast, and that Son of Man approaches the Ancient of Days, and he receives an everlasting dominion and a universal dominion, and he hands that dominion or that kingship over to the holy ones.

That's the context of Daniel 7. So Daniel 7 is all about the promised son of David who would come and restore the Kingdom of David, which was meant to be universal, consisting of all tribes, tongues, and nations, and everlasting.

That's what Daniel 7 is all about, the restoration of David's kingdom.

Amen?

Amen.

Okay, so now that we know that, let's look at the images or the details that are found in both John's heavenly vision and Daniel's heavenly vision about the restoration of the kingdom.

First of all, the throne set in heaven, we find it in here in Revelation 4:2 and in Daniel 7:9.

God sitting on the throne, once again, Revelation 4:2, Daniel 7:9.

So you have the throne, God is sitting on the throne.

We also have heavenly servants surrounding the throne found in Revelation 4:4, Daniel 7:10.

You have the image of the sea, right?

The image of the sea in Revelation 4:6, Daniel 7:2-3.

We have the book before the throne, or the scroll, and it's being opened.

We see it in Revelation 5:1-5 and Daniel 7:10.

The divine messianic figure approaching God's throne to receive authority to reign forever over a kingdom is present in Revelation 5:5-7 all the way to 13, as well as Daniel 7:13-14.

You know, remember, J- John describes that he sees Jesus approaching the throne, all right?

Jesus And so we see this divine messianic figure both in both visions.

The scope of the kingdom is all peoples, nations, and tongues.

John tells us this in Revelation 5:9.

We also see it in Daniel 7:14.

And finally, the saints are given divine authority to reign over a kingdom.

We see it in Revelation 5:10 and Daniel 7:18, 22, and 27.

So as we go down this list, we see details, images that are found in both John's heavenly vision and Daniel's heavenly vision.

What is Daniel's heavenly vision all about?

The restoration of the Davidic Kingdom by the Messianic King.

So what is John's vision all about?

The restoration of the Davidic Kingdom by the Messianic King, Jesus.

So all of the Messianic hopes come to fulfillment in and through Jesus.

And that restored Davidic Kingdom, my dear friends, is not only res- restored, but it's transfigured as well.

And that is the church that he establishes.

The church that Jesus Christ established, the Catholic Church, is the Davidic Kingdom that is located in the world, but is not of the world, because it's of divine origin.

It's not a human kingdom, it's a divine kingdom, because it's established by God Himself, God made flesh, Jesus Christ.

Amen?

Amen.

Okay, so this is how we look at the scroll and read it in light of the Old Testament.

Finally, we come to the six seals, and I got quite a bit to go, and I don't know if I'm gonna be able to get through, through all this, but we'll see what we can do.

We come to the six seals and the unveiling of judgment on Jerusalem, so here we go.

What's our first clue that the six seals and the opening thereof signify judgment on Jerusalem?

Well, our first clue is the parallels with Jesus' Olivet Discourse, which was the prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, particularly in Matthew 24.

So what we're gonna do is we're gonna parallel John's vision, right?

Of the lifted the opening of the six seals, and we're gonna compare what he sees and what Jesus talks about when He's prophesying about the destruction of Jerusalem in his Olivet Discourse.

So here we go.

The first seal is opened in Revelation 6:1-2, and we read that, uh, You will hear of wars.

Okay?

Let's see.

Let me make sure I get this right.

Matthew 24:6.

Okay.

You will hear of war.

So the, the fundamental theme here in the opening of the first seal is the theme of war.

Well, what did Jesus say in his Olivet Discourse about the impending destruction on Jerusalem?

Jesus said, You will hear of wars.

Okay?

So there's the first seal that And by the way, in the first seal you have this horseman riding out, okay?

The horseman's riding out and he's going out to conquer, which calls to mind war.

Well, Jesus talked about war as a sign surrounding the impending destruction on Jerusalem.

All right?

The second seal is opened, another horseman goes out, and that is to take peace from the earth, which scholars see in that the theme or the motif of international strife, and this is in Revelation 6:3-4.

Well, what did Jesus talk about as a sign surrounding the impending destruction of Jerusalem?

In Matthew 24:7 he said, For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.

So international strife, right?

The third seal is opened and another horseman, uh, is riding out, and we read that he had a balance in his hand.

Now, scholars point out, uh, that this, this balance is synonymous to, like, a scale, and the balance or the scale is a symbol for the time of famine.

Because every single, uh, food, every single piece of food needs to be carefully weighed and measured out, right, within the time of famine.

And furthermore, um, it speaks of this horseman Actually, that's in the fourth seal, so I, I jumped ahead of myself.

So, the balance calls to mind famine, right?

Well, what did Jesus associate with the impending destruction of Jerusalem?

In Matthew 24:7, There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

All right?

We move on.

The fourth seal is opened.

There we have the pale horse.

The rider's name was Death, and he kills with pestilence.

So note the motif of pestilence, right?

Now, uh, what's interesting to point out is that the Greek word for pale here is chloro or chloros from which we get the English word chlorophyll, right?

And what color do we associate with chlorophyll?

Green.

Green.

And so this horseman, this horse that is riding out, is a green horse as opposed to the others which are white, black, and red, et cetera.

So, green calls to mind, like, a s- it's a sickly color, all right?

So it calls to mind sickness or death, which would be brought about from pestilence.

Now, Jesus also associates pestilence with the impending destruction of Jerusalem in Luke 21:1, in Luke's account of Jesus's prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem, so there we see another parallel.

Okay, we open the fifth seal.

What do we find?

W- John sees in Revelation 6:9-13 souls who had been slain for the word of God.

So what does this call to mind?

Persecution, martyrdom.

What did Jesus associate with the impending destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24:9-13?

Here's one excerpt.

We read this.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake.

What did John see in the fifth, opening of the fifth seal?

Souls who had been slain for the word of God, for the testimony of Jesus.

What did Jesus say that would happen at the impending destruction of Jerusalem?

They would be killed.

They would be martyred for his sake, right?

So we see yet another parallel.

Then, in the opening of the sixth seal, we discover judgment.

We have the cli- the cataclysmic imagery, right?

The sun being black, the moon as blood, the stars falling from the sky.

Now remember, good Bible Christians, right, what does the cataclysmic imagery call to mind?

Judgment.

Because in the Old Testament, remember, such imagery was used to describe the judgment and destruction of, uh, cities or empires, right?

So John has this vision.

The sixth seal is opened, the sun is darkened, the moon is red as blood, the stars are falling from the sky.

Well, guess what type of imagery Jesus would use when he's prophesying about the impending destruction of Jerusalem?

In Matthew 24:15-13 he would use the same imagery.

We read, Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened.

The moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heavens will be shaken, right?

So yet another detail in John's vision that parallels Jesus's prophecy about the impending destruction of Jerusalem.

Here's another detail in Revelation six.

In the opening of the sixth seal, we, we discover John writes, The fig tree sheds its winter fruit.

All right, so notice the imagery of the fig tree, right?

Well, once again yet another symbol that's associated with Jerusalem in Jesus's ministry.

Jesus associates the barren fig tree with Jerusalem.

And re- remember, what did Jesus say?

If this doesn't bear fruit it's gonna be what?

Cut down.

And he associates that with Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is not bearing fruit, so consequently it will be cut down.

Metaphorically speaking, it will be destroyed, all right?

So you have the fig tree present in John's vision in the opening of the sixth seal, and Jesus's teaching and prophecy and warning about the judgment on Jerusalem.

So, what's the bottom line?

In light of all of these parallels, the suggestive, suggested interpretation is that John is having a vision of the impending destruction on Jerusalem in 70 A.D., and all of those details fit right in with what Jesus prophesied about the destruction, when Jesus prophesied about the destruction of Jerusalem in his Olivet Discourse.

Okay?

So what we're basically saying is that what Jesus said in the little synopsis , what Jesus prophesied in only a few words, John is having a whole vision about.

John is writing a whole book about it, okay?

And so that's the idea.

Uh, the second clue that this, the s- six seals reveal, um, destruction and judgment, particularly on Jerusalem, is that we also see parallels between what John sees in the opening of the sixth seals and the Mosaic curses that Moses associates with Israel's infidelity, uh, to the Lord's commands in Deuteronomy chapter 28.

Okay?

So let's take a look at these.

In the first seal, remember we had war, okay?

They, th- that, that first horseman went out conquering, signifying war.

Well, in Deuteronomy 28:25, Moses said to the Israelites, If you're unfaithful to God, right?

Here's one of the curses.

The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.So one of the curses is war for their infidelity to the covenant.

In the third seal, recall that we associated the third seal with famine.

What does Moses speak of as one of the curses in Deuteronomy 28?

Cursed shall you be in the field.

Cursed shall be your basket and na- kneading trough and the fruit of your ground.

All right?

So there seems to be famine.

Famine is a curse for infidelity to the covenant.

The opening of the fourth seal we saw pestilence.

Well, in Deuteronomy 28:21 and 24, Moses says the following, The Lord will make the pestilence cleave to you until He has consumed you off the land, which you are entering to take possession of it.

The Lord will make the rain of your land powder and dust.

Right?

So we come to the fifth seal.

Remember in the fifth seal of John's heavenly revelation there was persecution.

Well, what does Moses say that will befall upon the Israelites who were unfaithful to the covenant?

Persecution.

Deuteronomy 28:48-49, here are a few excerpts.

You shall be only oppressed and crushed continually.

The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar.

My dear friends, one of the curses of infidelity to the covenant was to be oppressed and destroyed by a foreign nation.

Persecution, judgment, destruction.

And this is the same m- curse that's associated with the opening of the fifth seal.

So judgment, my dear friends, is being wrought upon Jerusalem in this heavenly vision that John is having.

The s- third clue that suggests judgment on Jerusalem is the very imagery of the four horsemen itself them- themselves, right?

The four horsemen that come out, the white horse, the red horse, the black horse, the- the green or pale horse, these same four horsemen are found in the Old Testament as well.

In Zechariah chapters one and chapter six, and in both of those chapters, what is Zechariah prophesying about?

He's prophesying about the impending destruction on what?

Jerusalem, that would take place in 587 B.C.

by the Babylonian Empire.

And associated with the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem is the prophecy of the rebuilding of a new Jerusalem and a new temple.

You got it?

You see?

Which would partially be fulfilled when the Israelites would return back from Babylonian exile, uh, 70 years after their captivity.

They would come back, rebuild the city, and rebuild a second temple, right?

So there's a partial fulfillment to this prophecy of Zechariah.

But notice how the four horsemen in Zechariah's prophecies are associated with destruction of Jerusalem, a new Jerusalem, and a new temple, right?

Okay.

Now, we come to John's vision.

What does John see?

The same four horsemen.

Fill in the blanks.

Destruction of Jerusalem, a new Jerusalem, and a new temple.

Well, John in his heavenly vision already tells us that he describes heaven as what?

The heavenly city of Jerusalem, and he describes heaven as a new temple.

And so what's the only thing left out?

What is the only thing implied?

The destruction of Jerusalem.

So these four horsemen must be read in light of Zechariah's prophecies, in his vision of the four horsemen in Zechariah chapters one and chapter six.

Amen?

Amen.

So, we can see in light of this clue that this vision is a vision of judgment on Jerusalem.

The fourth clue, and we're almost done, friends, the, the, the vision that John has with the opening of the six seals and everything associated with each of th- each of those seals, famine, pestilence, war, et cetera, Jo- John's vision seems to parallel the historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem given to us by the Jewish hos- historian, uh, Josephus.

So, here's, here's some, some, some of the writings from Josephus.

Um, the first of which comes from Josephus's Wars of the Jews.

Uh, this is not an actual quote from Josephus, but this is a scholar by the name of Dr. Michael Barber- Barber who writes in his book on Revelation coming soon, he writes about Josephus.

And here's what he says, Josephus recounts how civil unrest abounded at this time in Palestine as Romans, Jews, Syrians, and others broke out in violence against each other.

Notice how Dr. Michael Barber points out that Josephus highlights that at the time there was international strife, right?

At the time surrounding, uh, the Jewish-Roman war, international strife.

Well, what did John describe in his vision in the opening of the seals?

What did John see?

International strife.

Secondly, just as John saw famine and pestilence associated with the seals being opened, so too Josephus writes about famine and pestilence surrounding the Jewish-Roman war.

He writes this, quote, The madness of the seditious seditious did also increase together with their famine, and both those miseries were every day inflamed more and more, for there was no corn which anywhere appeared publicly.

A table was nowhere laid for a distinct meal, but they snatched the bread out of the fire half-baked and ate it very hastily.

So we see that Josephus associates or describes how there was great famine at the time surrounding the Jewish-Roman war.

John has his heavenly vision and he sees famine, and so therefore we see a parallel between John's vision and the actual historical account of the destruction of Jerusalem as given to us by the Jewish historian Josephus.

So once again, yet another clue pointing toward John's vision being a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem.

Finally, I'll leave you with this, clue number five.

In Revelation 7:4 in particular, John talks about John receives this instruction, actually, from the angel to go and seal the foreheads of those who are faithful- to Jesus Christ, the faithful remnant, right?

And that seal on their forehead would be a sign of their fidelity and that they would be spared of the impending destruction.

Well, as I mentioned last week, folks, this seal on the forehead parallels, alludes to, the mark on the forehead that Ezekiel was to put on those faithful Israelites prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C., all right?

And the Old Testament text from which we get that is Ezekiel 9:4-6.

Um, in Ezekiel 9, uh, let's see, here's what we have.

Let me, let me see if I have it on the PowerPoint for you.

I don't.

Let me read it to you.

The Lord said to him, 'Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it.' So all of those Israelites who are groaning over the sins of the people of Israel, Ezekiel is to go and put a mark on their forehead.

Verse 5, 'And to the others,' He said in my hearing, 'Pass through the city after him and smite.

Your eye shall not spare and you shall n- show no pity.

Slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children, women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark, and begin at my sanctuary.

So notice, all of those who had the mark on the forehead were spared of the destruction in Jeru- of Jerusalem in 587 B.C.

Now, what was interesting, as we mentioned before, the Hebrew In Hebrew, there was no word for mark.

It was only a letter.

In Hebrew paleo script, uh, script, it was the letter taw, T-A-W, which looked like a plus sign, a little cross, right?

And in the Greek version of E- Ezekiel 9, it was the tau, which looked like a Franciscan cross, like a T, right?

Okay.

So, they were to put a mark on their forehead, a sign of their fidelity to God, rejecting the abominations to the Lord.

They would be spared of impending destruction on Jerusalem.

You got it?

Amen?

Amen.

Okay .

Now we come to John's revelation.

And what is John told to do?

Exactly what Ezekiel was told to do.

John has to go and seal the foreheads of those who are being faithful to the Lord.

Well, Ezekiel received that instruction prior to the destruction of Jerusalem.

John receives the same instruction.

Why?

Because Jerusalem's about to be destroyed, you see?

And that seal, as we mentioned last week, is commonly understood in our Catholic tradition as an invisible seal that's put upon the soul in the sacrament of baptism.

So all of those who are baptized, right, would be spared of the impending destruction.

Now, you think to yourself right now, Well, so does that mean just because you're baptized you're saved or something?

Well, think about it, folks.

In the first century, it was a totally different ballgame when you got baptized.

Amen?

Amen.

When you got baptized, that was your death sentence.

To get baptized was a definitive act of saying, I am Christian and I'm ready to die for it, right?

And so that seal was baptism.

That is, those Christians, those people who were baptized, that was their fidelity to Christ.

They were absolutely, ipso facto, faithful to Christ because to be baptized was to put a mark on your head, so to speak, to get killed, all right?

But for us today, right, we're in a totally different ballgame.

To get baptized doesn't mean you're gonna die, right?

And so what we have is this sort of cultural Catholicism, very often where we just kind of go through the motions, go through the sacraments, and there's no big deal about it, right?

Well, hopefully, we, we can learn something from these early Christians and see the importance of being baptized, that when you're baptized you belong to Christ, right, and we have to live out that identity.

Amen?

Amen.

And that we have to take it serious, that this is indeed a, a visible sign, there's a symbolic element to it, that I am willing to die for Christ.

And the same would be true in the mark we receive in the Sacrament of Confirmation, because Confirmation also bestows an indelible print or mark on the soul, as does baptism, okay?

So, getting back to John.

The point is, is that John receives the same instruction as E- as Ezekiel, to put a seal on their foreheads, which would imply that this is a vision that is being given to John about the impending destruction on Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

Amen?

Amen.

Okay.

So, my dear friends, that is the significance.

Hopefully you can, you've learned a thing or three about all of these images and these details, um, in Revelation chapters 2-6.

We looked at the seven letters, right?

We looked at the Heavenly Liturgy beyond the door that Jesus is knocking on, and we looked at the six seals and the scroll and the covenantal document and the restoration of David's kingdom.

These are all of the major themes that are found here in these particular chapters of the Book of Revelation.

So let's close with a word of prayer.

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.

We'll give God our Father thanks and praise for this most wonderful opportunity to meditate upon His Divine Word as we pray.

Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespassed against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Amen.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.