Transcript

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

Let's invoke the presence of the Holy Spirit as we begin our meditation and our study on the Book of Revelation.

And so we pray, Come Holy Spirit, and fill the hearts of the faithful.

Enkindle within us the fire of thy love.

Oh, Father, please send forth your spirit and we shall be created, and You shall renew the face of the Earth.

Let us pray.

Oh God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant by that same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise, and ever-rejoice in Your consolation.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.

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

Amen.

Okay, so here we are with lesson five of our seminar, Unveiling the Mystery: A Catholic Study of the Book of Revelation.

And the two major things that we'll be focusing on tonight will be the story of the judgment of the Great Harlot City and the Wedding Feast of the Lamb, and these two major things are found in Revelation chapters 17 through 19.

Uh, the Judgment of the Great Harlot is found in Revelation 17 through 18, the Wedding Feast of the Lamb in chapter 19.

So let's go ahead and start off with the story of the Judgment of the Great Harlot in Revelation 17:1.

It goes through 18:24.

And basically, what we're going to do is kind of go through the details of Revelation chapter 17, and pull out those details that give us clues and hints to who or what the Great Harlot, uh, might be.

And as I've mentioned in the past, the harlot is Jerusalem.

We've been going over the past, uh, four lessons of showing that this prophecy of St. John is a prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem, and we're going to see it once again here because the whole story and the narrative of Revelation 17 is about the judgment on the harlot, uh, that John has a vision of.

And you read it right there in chapter 17, verse 1. So what are the clues or the details that suggest that the harlot, this woman, uh, that John has a vision of, the harlot woman is indeed Jerusalem?

Well, the first clue is that the harlot is referred to as the great city.

In Revelation 17:18, it's called the great city.

Now, if you recall, in Revelation 11:8, the great city that's gonna come under God's wrath and in judgment is the city where our Lord was crucified.

So the great city is Jerusalem.

Well, here in Revelation 17, the harlot is referred to as that great city.

So in light of that, we know that the harlot is Jerusalem.

The second clue.

The description of the harlot here in Revelation chapter 17 is sort of a negative parallel to the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation chapter 21.

So you have the harlot here in Revelation 17, and it's sort of the negative parallel to the New Jerusalem.

Well, why would it be a negative parallel to the New Jerusalem?

Because the harlot is the Old Jerusalem.

So I wanna share with you the contrasting parallels.

There's quite a few of them here, so we'll just kinda run through them, and then we can see how we can make the interpretive application about the harlot.

So the first contrasting parallel is that in reference to the harlot, in Revelation 16:17-21, which is the preceding context, it's the verses that come right before chapter 17, verse 1. It's the account of the seventh chalice being poured out, right?

And when that seventh chalice is poured out, it's in regard to the destruction of the new Babylon, which is the great city, okay?

And so we know that the harlot is the great city.

The harlot is this new Babylon, and it's within the context of the seventh chalice, right?

Okay.

Well, in Revelation chapter 21, when does John see the New Jerusalem?

In the final seventh vision.

There's seven visions, and in the seventh vision he sees the New Jerusalem, descending uh, uh, the descent of the New Jerusalem.

So you have the harlot being seen and mentioned within the context of the seventh chalice, and the New Jerusalem being seen in the seventh vision.

Does that make sense?

See the parallel there?

Okay.

The second contrasting parallel.

In 17:1, we read, Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me.

Now, listen to what we read in Revelation 21:9 in reference to the New Jerusalem.

Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven plagues and spoke to me.

You see a parallel there.

One of the seven angels, one of the seven bowls, present in both in regards to the Great Harlot City and the New Jerusalem.

Um, third contrasting parallel.

In Revelation 17:1, John hears The angel says to John, Come, I will show you.

When reference, reference to the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:9, what does the angel tell John?

Come, I will show you.

Okay?

Fourth parallel.

In chapter 17, verse 1-We read the Great Harlot.

John sees the Great Harlot.

Now contrast that to the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:9, which is referred to as the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

So there's a contrast there.

The great city is the harlot, which would be non-bride, unfaithful bride , you know?

And in the New Jerusalem is the bride, the wife of the Lamb.

Fifth parallel.

In 17:3, we read, And he carried me away in the spirit, within the context of the story of the Great Harlot.

In Revelation 21:10, in the context of the New Jerusalem, we read, And in the spirit, he carried me away.

Sixth parallel.

In Revelation 17, four reference to the context of the story of the harlot, I saw a woman arrayed in purple and scarlet, bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls.

Notice the apparel of the harlot.

Well, how does he describe the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:11?

Having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal.

Seventh contrasting parallel.

In Revelation 17:5, in reference to the harlot, On her forehead was written a name of mystery, 'Babylon the great, mother of harlots.' How does he describe the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:12?

On the gates, the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.

So you have the imagery of names being present in both the story of the harlot and the New Jerusalem.

Eighth contrasting parallel.

In Revelation chapter 18 verse 2, in reference to the harlot, It has become a dwelling place of demons.

How does he describe the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:3?

Behold the dwelling of God is with me.

You see?

So the harlot is the dwelling of demons, the New Jerusalem is the dwelling of God.

And finally, in Revelation chapter 17 verse 8, in reference to the harlot, we read, Those whose names are not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will marvel to behold the beast.

In Revelation 21:27, in reference to the New Jerusalem, Only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life shall enter.

So you have the book of life present in both stories of the harlot city and the New Jerusalem.

So what's the point of all of the contrasting parallels?

Well, obviously I think it's clear that we can conclude that if the harlot is being replaced by the New Jerusalem, in light of the contrasting parallels, well then the harlot must be an image for the old Jerusalem.

And it is that harlot that is coming under God's judgment.

Consequently, the judgment of Jerusalem and the destruction of Jerusalem that would happen in 70 AD.

Does that make sense?

Okay?

Okay.

So that was our second clue, the description of the harlot is a negative parallel to the description of the New Jerusalem, which suggests that the harlot indeed is the old Jerusalem.

Our third clue that the harlot is Jerusalem, and that is the imagery describing the harlot's relation to the beast corresponds the relation between Jewish and Roman authorities.

All right?

So our first image, in Revelation 17:1, we find that the harlot sits on the waters, on many waters.

Well, remember what we said in previous sessions about the sea, or about the water.

What does the sea signify?

The sea signifies the Gentile nations, right?

The tumults of the peoples, according to Psalm 65:7, as well as Daniel chapter 7 and those four beasts coming out from the sea.

And so the historical parallel is just as the harlot sits on many waters, it parallels the historical context of the Sanhedrin exercising its Gentile-given authority.

The very Jewish Sanhedrin had authority that was given to it by the Roman Empire, okay?

It wasn't exercising legitimate authority from God, its authority was from Caesar.

So you have the historical context of the Jewish Sanhedrin, the religious leaders, collaborating with Rome.

Hence, the harlot sitting on many waters.

Now, the harlot sitting on many waters, the next thing that we see in 17 verse 3 In chapter 17 verse 3, one through three within that same area, is that John also describes the harlot is sitting on the beast.

St. John begins to describe the beast in Revelation chapter 17 verses 1 through 3. Well, obviously this would be the beast coming from the sea, right?

That we already referenced in chapter 13 of the Book of Revelation.

And the way John describes this beast that the harlot is sitting on in the waters is the same description of the beast from the sea in Revelation chapter 13.

Seven heads, ten horns, blasphemous names, okay?

So what's the historical parallel?

Well, first of all, who did we say that beast from the sea represents?

Gentiles, but in particular, Rome, okay?

And we So we already looked at that, so here we have the harlot collaborating with the beast from the sea, which is Rome.

Well, that would parallel the historical context, once again, of Jerusalem and the Jewish religious leaders collaborating with Roman authority.

So thus, you have the imagery of the harlot sitting on the beast from the sea.

It fits perfect with the literal historical context of 1st century Judaism.The third image that describes the harlot's relation with the beast that parallels the literal historical context of Jerusalem and Rome is that the harlot sits on seven hills, which are the seven heads of the beast from the sea according to Revelation chapter 17, verse 9. So, the harlot, John says, is sitting on this beast coming out of the waters that has seven heads.

Well, as we already mentioned before, in light of the geographical context, which refers to Rome as a city built on seven hills, it seems obvious that this beast with the seven heads is indeed Rome.

Once again, paralleling the historical context of the Jewish religious leaders collaborating with Roman authority.

All right?

So, in light of these images of the harlot and this beast from the sea collaborating together, we can see that it is a vision that parallels the first century historical context of Jerusalem collaborating with Rome.

Thus, once again, we have our clue here, the harlot is Jerusalem.

We move to clue number four.

The harlot's association with the beast actually follows the same pattern set before in regard to the land beast and the false prophet.

Recall in chapter 13, we read about the dragon, the beast from the sea, and the land beast.

Then in chapter 16, we read about the dragon, the sea beast or the beast from the sea, and the false prophet.

And then here in chapter 17, we read about the dragon again, the beast from the sea, and the harlot.

So, in all three of these chapters and in these visions, the dragon is the same, the beast from the sea is the same, but the only difference is the land beast, the false prophet, and the harlot.

So, I would suggest to you that the land beast, the false prophet, and the harlot are the same entity.

You see?

They are the same.

We, we demonstrated that the land beast was Jerusalem.

We demonstrated that the false prophet was Jerusalem.

And so it seems reasonable to conclude that the harlot is Jerusalem as well.

So, three different images to describe the same reality, namely Jerusalem.

Does that make sense?

Amen?

Okay.

Now we go to clue number five.

Jerusalem is actually referred to as a harlot in the Old Testament.

Check out, for example, Isaiah chapter one, verse 21.

We read this, quote, The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.

How the faithful city has become a harlot.

She that was full of justice.

Righteousness lodged in her, but now murders.

Close quote.

So, that's Isaiah pronouncing judgment on Jerusalem, calling Jerusalem a harlot.

A- another example we find from Ezekiel chapter 16, verse 15.

We read, quote, Son of Man, make known to Jerusalem her abominations.

But you trusted in your beauty and played the harlot because of your renown, and lavished your harlotries on any passerby.

Close quote.

So, there we see in Ezekiel's prophecy Jerusalem is referred to as a harlot.

So, if in the Old Testament tradition unfaithful Jerusalem is referred to as a harlot, and we come to John's vision, and he has a vision of a harlot, who might that harlot be but unfaithful Jerusalem?

Jerusalem being unfaithful in the first century, precisely because Jerusalem is persecuting the Messianic people of God.

Clue number six that the harlot is Jerusalem.

The apparel of the harlot, as described in Revelation chapter 17, verses 4 through 5. Here's what we find.

Here's what we read.

Let me see if I have it.

Okay, I don't have it for you on the PowerPoint, so just listen right here.

Verse four.

The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet.

I emphasize scarlet, okay?

And bedecked with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and impurities of her fornication.

And on her forehead was written a name of mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and of Earth's Abominations.

Close quote.

So, I'm gonna suggest to you that the way John describes the harlot here in verses 4 through 5 is a clue to suggest that the harlot is Jerusalem.

And we can do this in three ways.

First of all, this apparel of the harlot alludes to the description of the unfaithful Jerusalem in the Old Testament.

For example, in Jeremiah 4:30.

Listen to how Jeremiah describes unfaithful Jerusalem.

For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 'And you, oh desolate one, what do you mean that you dress in scarlet?' What did John say about the harlot?

How is the harlot dressed?

In scarlet.

Continuing Jeremiah's quote, That you deck yourself with ornaments of gold.

How did John describe the harlot?

Bedecked with gold.

Continuing Jeremiah's quote, That you enlarge your eyes with paint.

It's okay, ladies, you can put mascara on.

There's no problem with that, okay?

In vain you beautify yourself.

See, that's the key.

In vain, right?

In vain you beautify yourself.

Your lovers despise you.

They seek your life.

Close quote.

So, we see that in Jeremiah's indictment on Jerusalem there in the sixth century BC, Jeremiah describes that unfaithful Jerusalem as, Dressed in scarlet, bedecking herself with ornaments of gold.

This is exactly how John describes the harlot in his vision of Revelation chapter 17, verses 4 through 5. And so you make the connection, I think it's reasonable to conclude John's harlot in his vision is unfaithful Jerusalem in the first century, just like unfaithful Jerusalem in the sixth century B.C.

Another way that the apparel of the harlot alludes to Jerusalem is that it alludes to the images that come from the cult of Israel.

And when I say cult of Israel, I, I, I, I refer to the systematic, uh, environment and structure of worship for the people of God in the Old Testament.

That's all simply cult means.

A collaboration or a group of people in veneration and honor of a particular person or, or even worship of Almighty God.

Okay?

So cult is not a bad word.

Cultus in Latin, to cultivate.

And so it's a group of people cultivating honor, veneration, or even worship in regard to God.

So, how is it that the apparel of the harlot alludes to the cult or the worship assembly of Israel?

First of all, the high priest wore gold, scarlet, and precious stones according to Exodus 28, verses 5 and 15 through 23.

The breastplate that he would have on his chest would have 12 precious stones.

And we're told that, um, that his garments were to be of gold, blue and purple and scarlet stuff and fine twined linen shall you make it there in Exodus 28.

So precious stones, goods, scarlet Excuse me, precious stones, gold, scarlet, that would immediately call to mind the high priest and how he dresses.

Right?

The second way that the apparel of the harlot alludes to the cult of Israel is that the gold, the scarlet, and the precious stones were part of the tabernacle's furnishings.

Okay?

We read about scarlet, um, e- and the sanctuary, uh, having gold, silver, bronze, okay?

Precious stones would bedeck the inner court, the inner holy place of the sanctuary.

And then finally, the high priest's miter, so to speak, had words written across the forehead.

Remember, how did John describe the harlot?

On her forehead was written a name of mystery, right?

Well, for any Jew, that would call to mind the high priest of the cult of Israel, because the high priest, according to Exodus 28:36-37, we read the following.

And you shall make a plate of pure gold There's the gold imagery again.

and engrave on it like the engraving of a signet, 'Holy to the Lord.' And you shall fasten it on the turban by a lace of blue.

It shall be on the front of the turban.

It shall be upon Aaron's forehead.

Okay?

So, I don't think it's a coincidence that John has a vision of the harlot with this label name of Babylon on her forehead.

That's a direct allusion to the high priest, who had that label of holy to the Lord placed on his forehead on the turban, similar to, akin to the bishop's miter, right?

This is where the bishop's miter and the bishop hat comes from.

It comes from this Jewish tradition to signify the high priesthood.

The bishops are the high priest of the new covenant, because they participate in the true one high priesthood of Jesus Christ.

This is why they wear miters and stuff.

That's the significance of it.

Okay.

Now, finally, the third way that the apparel of the harlot reveals that the harlot is Jerusalem is that it is contrasted with the apparel of the bride of the lamb, which is the new Jerusalem in Revelation 21.

So you have the harlot here in Revelation 17.

The apparel of the harlot is contrasted to the bride of the lamb and how she's bedecked, how she is dressed, how John sees her, that is the new Jerusalem.

So here's what we read in Revelation 21:9-11.

Quote, Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the lamb.

And in the spirit, he carried me away to a great high mountain and showed to me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

So notice how the bride of the lamb, the new Jerusalem, is seen as being bedecked with rare jewels.

How did John describe the harlot?

She was bedecked with golden jewels.

So, why this contrast of apparel, or the similarity of apparel, with the harlot and the new Jerusalem?

Well, it signifies that the new Jerusalem's taken the place of the harlot.

The harlot is the negative of the new Jerusalem.

Consequently, the harlot is the old Jerusalem.

Does that make sense?

Okay?

Okay.

So the apparel of the harlot is a clue suggesting that the harlot is Jerusalem.

Now, we move on in Revelation chapter 17, particularly in verse 6, and we discover something else that would signify the harlot being Jerusalem.

And that is, St. John tells us, quote, I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus, close quote.

So the harlot is drunk with the blood of the saints.

Who are the saints?

The saints refers to the Christians, the faithful Messianic people of God in the first century.

And this harlot is drunk with the blood of the saints, the martyrs of Jesus.

What does that mean?

Well, here we have a usage of Here we have a usage of the figure of speech of drinking blood.

We have a usage of drinking blood being used as a figure of speech, as an idiom.

Well, what is John referring to here?

He's referring to how the harlot is persecuting the first century Christians.

And the figure of speech that he uses to describe that persecution is being drunk with blood.So we see here how that idiom, or that language, of drinking blood or being drunk with blood can be used as a metaphor, as a figure of speech, and it means persecution and assault.

Well, who was persecuting the first century Christians?

Jerusalem.

Initially it was Jerusalem.

Eventually it would become Rome, but initially it was Jerusalem.

Think Saul, right?

Who was killing off the Christians.

So John is describing, with metaphorical language here, that first century Jewish persecution of the Christians, that persecution coming from the Jewish religious leaders.

Now, as a side note, can you think of another place in the Bible where we read about drinking blood?

Think Jesus in the New Testament, right?

In John chapter six, recall, Jesus says, If you eat my flesh and drink my blood, I will raise you up on the last day.

Right?

B- Before that, he says, Unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, you have no life within you.

For if you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his Drink my Drink his blood, I will raise you up on the last day.

Now, many of our Protestant brothers and sisters will assert that when Jesus used the language of eating his flesh and drinking his blood, he was using it as a metaphor or as a figure of speech.

Well, such language was already used as a figure of speech in the Jewish tradition, as indicated here in Revelation 17:6.

Drinking blood, when used as a metaphor, signifies persecution, assault, and destruction.

Amen?

And so, if that's what Jesus meant when he said, Drink my blood, you're gonna go to heaven, if Jesus meant that language as a metaphor, what would he have meant in the Jewish tradition?

If you kill me, assault me, and persecute me, you'll go to heaven.

You think that's what he meant?

No, obviously not.

So in John 6, when he says, Drink my blood to go to heaven, he was not speaking metaphorically.

He wasn't using it as a figure of speech, because the Jews already had a meaning for that language as a metaphor.

So, he must have been speaking literally.

So that's just as a side note to I wanted to sh- highlight that for you to see how this is i- a crucial text to see and understand how drinking blood is used as a metaphor in the Jewish tradition, and it means persecution, assault, and destruction.

And this is what John is referring to here.

So this is our seventh clue that the harlot is indeed Jerusalem.

Our eighth clue We have nine clues total, so two more.

Clue number eight that the harlot is Jerusalem, and that is, uh, John mentions in Revelation 17:18 how the harlot has dominion over kings.

We read, quote, And the woman that you saw is the great city which has dominion over the kings of the earth.

Now, some scholars point out that this dominion over the kings of the earth seems to allude to King Solomon, th- that It seems to parallel or allude to Jerusalem under the leadership of King Solomon during the days of King Solomon.

For example, in 1 Kings 3:1, we read about how Solomon took Pharaoh, King Pharaoh Pharaoh, the king, right?

King of Egypt.

Took Pharaoh's daughter, established a marriage alliance, and married Pharaoh's daughter.

And some scholars suggest that he did this with many other foreign nations.

This is why he had 700 wives.

Scholars suggest that he was actually trying to actualize the promise of God to David that his kingdom would be a universal kingdom, and Solomon was trying to actualize that by his own power.

And so, thus taking wives from all these different foreign nations in order to establish this universal dominion, right?

Secondly, in the Old Testament, 1 Kings 10:2, we read about how the Queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon and came to Jerusalem with a great, great Very great retinue with camels bearing spices, very much gold and precious stones.

A queen of Sheba, a foreign Gentile queen, coming to Jerusalem to give gifts, gold and precious stones, to King Solomon, signifying his dominion over the kings and queens of the earth, right?

And in that same chapter, chapter 10 of 1 Kings verse 24, we read about how King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom.

And all the kings of the earth, every one of them, scripture says, brought his present articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, mules, so much year by year.

So in the Old Testament, during the days of Solomon, we see that Solomon was beginning to exercise this sort of universal dominion over the foreign kings throughout the earth.

And so, scholars see in John's vision how John sees the harlot having dominion over the kings of the earth seems to call to mind this sort of dominion that Jerusalem had during the days of King Solomon.

And so, in light of that connection, once again we can conclude that the harlot would refer to Jerusalem here in John's vision of Revelation chapter 17.

And finally, the ninth clue that the great harlot is Jerusalem is, uh, St. John gives us images that reveal, tells us, explicitly even, that the great harlot is the new Babylon.

Now, why is that important?

Well, because already, over the past four lessons in other chapters of the Book of Revelation, we showed how the great city that's coming under judgment of God and will be destroyed, we've seen already several times how the great city is a new Babylon, right?

We've proven that the great city is Jerusalem.

Jerusalem's referred to as the new Babylon, and thus will be destroyed.

We see it once again here in chapter 17.

This harlot is referred to as a new Babylon.

And so if we've already seen Jerusalem in previous chapters as the new Babylon coming under judgment and will be destroyed, well then the great harlot as the new Babylon suggests that the harlot is Jerusalem.

Do you follow that line of reasoning there?

Now, how do we know the great harlot is the new Babylon?

Well, in Revelation chapter 17, verse five, St. John explicitly calls the great harlot the new Babylon.

We read the following, And on her forehead was written the name of mystery, Babylon the Great, Mother of Harlots and of earth's abominations.

Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great.

Okay?

So the great harlot is explicitly revealed here the new Babylon.

Now, there's another way in which we can see more implicitly, but we see parallels between the description of the harlot as the new Babylon and Jeremiah's prophecy of the destruction of the old Babylon.

Okay?

So the stories surrounding the harlot in John's vision parallels Jeremiah's prophecy of the destruction of Babylon of old.

Does that make sense?

And so in light of these parallels, we know that the harlot of John's vision is a new Babylon.

So I just wanna share with you some of these parallels.

It's really cool to see how John's vision, uh, is to be read in light of Jeremiah's prophecy of the destruction of the old Babylon.

In Revelation 18:2, we read, Babylon, a haunt of every foul spirit, a haunt of every fowl and hateful bird.

That's re- r- a reference to the harlot.

Or in Jeremiah 51:37 in reference to the old Babylon, Babylon, the haunts of jackals.

Okay?

So e- we see similar language there.

Secondly, in Revelation 18 verse three, in reference to the harlot, All the nations have drank the wine of her impure passion.

When referenced to the old Babylon in Jeremiah 51:7, Babylon, making all the Earth drunken, the nations drank of her wine.

Third parallel in Revelation 18 verse four in reference to the harlot.

Come out of her, my people, compared to Jeremiah 51:6 in reference to the old Babylon, Free from Flee from the midst of Babylon.

So you have the idea of coming out of the Babylon in both visions.

Revelation 18 verse five, in reference to the harlot, For her sins are heaped high as heaven.

In reference to the old Babylon in Jeremiah 51 verse nine, Her judgment has reached up to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies.

Similar language there.

Fifth parallel in Revelation chapter 18 verse six in reference to the harlot.

Render to her as she herself has rendered.

Right?

Well, in Jeremiah chapter 50 verse 29, Requit her according to her deeds.

Do to her according to all that she has done.

So you have the motif of receiving recompense for deeds, both in reference to the deeds of the harlot and the deeds of the old Babylon.

Revelation chapter 18 verse eight, in reference to the harlot, She shall be burned with fire.

In reference to the old Babylon, Jeremiah 51:30, Her dwellings are on fire.

Her bars are broken.

Close quote.

Seventh parallel.

Revelation 18:20, in reference to the harlot.

Rejoice over her, oh heaven.

Jeremiah 51:48, in reference to the old Babylon.

Then the heavens and the earth and all that is in them shall sing for joy over Babylon.

So you have the idea of rejoicing.

Revelation 18:24 in reference to the harlot.

In her was found all who have been slain on earth.

In reference to the old Babylon, Jeremiah 51:49, Babylon must fall for the slain of Israel.

As for Babylon, have fallen the slain of all the earth.

So in light of all these parallels, it's clear that the harlot is the new Babylon, right?

Now, if thought, w- what's the significance of that?

In light of the fact that the harlot is the new Babylon, how does that reveal to us that the harlot is Jerusalem?

Well, the answer lies in why the old Babylon was destroyed.

Why was the old Babylon destroyed?

Because it was persecuting God's people, exiled them into foreign territory, and it destroyed God's temple.

Well, in the first century, who is persecuting God's people?

Jerusalem.

Who has destroyed the true temple of Jesus Christ?

It's the Jerusalem, the Jews.

At least the Jewish religious leaders who led the others to put him to death, you see?

And so consequently, Jerusalem, as the new Babylon, will indeed suffer the same fate as the old Babylon.

The old Babylon came under judgment of God.

God vindicated his people and led them on a new Exodus, partially speaking, back to their homeland in Jerusalem.

So too Jerusalem is the new Babylon.

It's coming under judgment of God.

It will be destroyed, and God is leading his faithful people on a new Exodus, right?

Leading them back not to the geographical land of Jerusalem, but the true Jerusalem, the new Jerusalem, the heavenly Jerusalem.

That's the significance of this great narrative of the judgment on the harlot, the old Jerusalem.

Because there is a new Jerusalem, namely heaven, and that's the holy city that we're pure- that we're all pilgrimaging to, and that's our final destination.

Amen?

Okay.

So, we've seen that the harlot is Jerusalem in this great drama or this great story of the judgment on the harlot.

Now just real briefly, as we've already suggested, the beast that the harlot, uh harlots with is Rome.

And the first clue is that in Revelation chapter 17 verse 9, St. John tells us that the beast that the harlot is sitting on has seven heads, right?

And he tells us again, he's already told us this before in previous chapters, but he's telling us again in Revelation 17 that this beast that the harlot is sitting on has seven heads, which are seven hills, or the seven hills are the seven heads, which are the seven kings, right?

Well, recall geographically speaking, Rome is a city built on seven hills.

We've already mentioned in past sessions that the seven head description, five of whom have fallen, one is, one yet to come that will only remain a little while, parallels exactly the first seven Caesars of the Roman Empire.

Five of whom have fallen, one is, that would fall for Nero, and then one is yet to come, that is Galba from '68 to '69 A.D., only reigning for a little while.

So the description of this beast that the harlot is harloting with signifies indeed once again that it is Rome, which would parallel exactly the harlot being Jerusalem, the beast from the sea being Rome, the two collaborating together to persecute the Messianic people of God, and thus incur judgment upon themselves.

And then finally, uh, the last thing I'd like to point out in Revelation chapter 17 verse 16 in regard to this story of the harlot, is the devouring of the harlot and the burning which actually parallels Rome's destruction of Jerusalem in '70 A.D.

In Revelation chapter 17 verse 16, we read the following quote, And the 10 horns that you saw, they and the beast will hate the harlot.

They will make her desolate and naked and devour her flesh and burn her up with fire.

So the judgment on the harlot climaxes and ends with the beast from the sea devouring the harlot.

The very beast that the harlot was harloting with and collaborating with to persecute the saints, that beast actually turns on the harlot, devours her flesh.

Now, notice like the image of being drunk with blood, devouring of flesh is an idiom in the Jewish tradition for Or a figure of speech for destruction, persecution, assault, right?

So the beast from the sea is coming to assault, to persecute, and to destroy the harlot.

Once again, think about Jesus, right?

Eat my flesh, go to heaven.

Is he using that as a figure of speech?

No.

Why?

Because in the Jewish tradition, that as a figure of speech meant destroy, assault, and persecute, right?

You think Jesus is saying to kill him in order to go to heaven?

Absolutely not.

So when Jesus said, Eat my flesh, he meant what he said.

He meant it literally, not as a figure of speech.

Amen, Catholic brothers and sisters?

Amen.

Okay.

Now, getting back to the text.

So what might John be describing by saying that the beast is devouring the flesh of the harlot?

We've already, uh, filled in the blanks, right?

We The beast and the sea is Rome, harlot's Jerusalem, beast from the sea is gonna destroy Jerusalem.

Hence, Rome's destruction of Jerusalem in '70 A.D.

You see that?

See how the puzzle fits together beautifully there?

So this is a possible way, which I think is a very plausible way, to exegete these images of the harlot and the beast from the sea.

Amen?

Amen.

Okay.

Now, the next, um, major component of our reflection tonight on these chapters of the Book of Revelation is the scene of the wedding Feast of the Lamb that John writes about or sees or describes in Revelation chapter 19 verses 1 through 9. Now, we have a few minutes before we take our break, so I'm gonna go ahead and dive in.

We'll start our reflection on the wedding Feast of the Lamb, and we'll take a break midway.

So here's, here's what I want to do.

I want to read it to you.

Uh, I don't have the text here on the PowerPoint for you, uh, so just listen carefully as I read Revelation chapter 19 verse 1. Here we go.

John says, After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven.

After what?

After the destruction of the harlot, et cetera.

After this, I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven crying, 'Hallelujah!

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just.

He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the Earth with her fornication, and he has avenged on her the blood of his servants.' So they're rejoicing that God has come in judgment on the harlot, Jerusalem.

Once more they cried, Hallelujah!

Now, hallelujah means, uh, praise Yahweh, right?

Hallelujah, the smoke from her goes up forever and ever.

The smoke of who?

The smoke of the harlot.

Remember how he said in chapter 17 that the, uh, the harlot was burned with fire.

Okay?

Rome would burn the city of Jerusalem in '70 A.D.

Verse 20, And the 24 presbyters and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God, who is seated on the throne, saying, 'Amen.

Hallelujah.' And from the throne came a voice crying, 'Praise our God, all you his servants, you who fear him, small and great.' Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunder peals.

Many waters.

What did waters signify?

Gentiles.

Gentiles.

So this suggests that Gentiles as well constitute the heavenly host.

You see?

And so this would parallel and fit perfectly with the new covenant, uh, the new revelation through Jesus Christ as taught by the apostles that the Gentiles are now welcome into the covenantal family of God.

We're neither Jew nor Greek, male nor female, right?

That is, the whole human family has access now to God's family, not just the Jewish people.Continue to quote here.

Hallelujah, for the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and exalt and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come.

And his bride has made herself ready.

It was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure, for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' That ought to sound familiar for us as Catholics, right?

Amen.

In the mass.

Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

And he said to me, These are the true words of God.

Close quote.

All right, so what can we see here in this passage?

What are some themes that we can extract from John's vision and description of this wedding supper of the Lamb?

Well, the first thing, I think, is that it is the last supper, i.e.

the mass.

It's the last supper made present in heaven.

In other words, what John saw with his physical eyes in the Upper Room, John sees now and experiences that same reality, but from a heavenly perspective.

That the reality that was made present in the Upper Room, with which we could perceive with the visible senses, that same reality transcends time and space and is made present in the heavenly realm.

And John experiences that same reality without the veil of the senses.

He experiences it from a heavenly perspective.

So the question is, how do we know that this wedding supper of the Excuse me.

How do we know that this wedding supper of the Lamb is the last supper?

What are the clues that would suggest John's experience of the marriage supper of the Lamb is the last supper from a heavenly perspective?

Well, our first clue is Jesus' invitation to the wedding feast, okay?

As found in Revelation chapter three, verse 20.

So we're kind of going back to Revelation chapter three, verse 20, where we find Jesus inviting his people to the wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19.

And we see Eucharistic clues in the invitation.

So here's what we read in Revelation 3:20.

Here's the invitation.

Behold, Jesus says, I stand at the door and knock.

So note the image of the door and knocking together.

If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and eat, or sup, with him, and he with me.

So you have this image of Jesus knocking and then extending an invitation to dine.

So you have the imagery of knocking and dining together.

Well, these images are found together in Song of Songs, chapter five, verses one through two.

The imagery of knocking and dining calls to mind the Old Testament tradition of a wedding banquet.

Here's what Solomon writes.

Quote, I come to my garden, my sister, my bride.

I gather my myrrh with my spice.

I eat my honeycomb with my honey.

I drink my wine with my milk.

Eat, oh friends, and drink.

Drink deeply, oh lovers.

Notice two things.

It's a feast, amen?

But it's a love feast.

It's a feast of lovers.

It's a nuptial feast.

Verse two.

I slept, but my heart was awake.

Hark, my beloved is knocking.

Open to me my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.

So in this text, we discover the image of knocking and the image of a banquet.

But not just any banquet, but a wedding banquet, you see?

And so we come back to Jesus.

Here he is knocking.

He's extending an invitation to a banquet.

So what kind of banquet is he ex- is he inviting us to?

A wedding banquet, a nuptial banquet, in light of the biblical traditional of Song of Song chapter five.

Now, what wedding banquet might that be?

Well, John's telling us about it in Revelation chapter 19.

So here in Revelation 3:20, we have Jesus extending an invitation to that wedding feast of the Lamb in Revelation 19.

You got it so far?

Say amen.

Amen.

Okay.

Now, how does this invitation to the wedding feast suggest Eucharistic overtones and symbolism?

Well, all we gotta do is look at the Greek word for eat.

Um, okay, let me back up.

The second reason why we know this is an invitation to the wedding feast of the Lamb is because in chapter four, verse one, the door opens and what do we see?

The lamb.

Okay?

So here's Jesus knocking, extending invitation to a banquet, the door opens, we see the lamb.

So obviously that points forward to the wedding supper of the Lamb in Revelation 19.

Okay.

So what is the clue that would suggest it's the last supper?

What's the connection to the Eucharist with this invitation to the wedding feast?

Well, the Greek word for eat there, in Revelation 3:20, is depneo.

When Jesus says, Behold, I knock, and he extends the invitation, Come into him and eat, I will come and eat with him.

The Greek word is depneo.

That's the same Greek word that's used in reference to the supper that Jesus was eating with his apostles at the last supper, according to Luke 22:20, and 1 Corinthians 11:25.

In those two passages, as recounted by St. Luke and St. Paul, when they talk about how after they supped, then he took bread and said, This is my body, the Greek word there for supped, in verb form, is depneo.

So we see the same Greek word used for the supper of the last supper right?

The Eucharist and this banquet or this eating, this eating that Jesus wants to partake of with his people, which is what?

The wedding feast of the lamb.

And so in light of the invitation to the wedding feast, we see that the wedding feast of the lamb is the Last Supper.

There's a connection between the two.

Does that make sense?

All right?

Yeah?

Their garments are white.

Their garments are white, symbolizing the righteous deeds and purity.

And this would be a, uh You Amen, that's a good thought, because what does the church say?

We must be worthy and pure to partake of Jesus in the Eucharist, right?

We must have the white garments on, that is the righteous deeds of the saints.

Our hearts must be pure.

So, this is why if the church, the church teaches that if we're aware of any mortal sin, all right, we are to not partake of the wedding supper of the lamb.

Why?

Because, as the Book of Revelations says, we gotta have the white garments on, the righteous deeds of the saints.

Purity, right?

And this would also be another indication of why the early church, the early centers of the church, the newly baptized, right, they would wear their white garments when they come to Christian liturgy.

When you come to the mass, everybody has white garments on in the ancient liturgies of the church.

Why?

Because they understood the theology that when we go to mass, where are we?

We're at the wedding supper of the lamb.

You see?

So, whether or not we should start putting on white garments or not, I don't know.

We'll leave that up to those, the powers that be, right?

Okay.

Now, the second clue that the wedding supper of the lamb is the Last Supper, and that is the Passover imagery.

The Passover, we see, we see images in John's account of the wedding supper, supper of the lamb that suggests the Passover, right?

That John is seeing a new Passover here.

Well, in the Christian tradition, the New Passover was the Last Supper.

So first of all, what are the new, what are the Passover images in John's vision of the wedding supper of the lamb?

Well, first, we read about the Hallelujah, right?

Remember, in, in the nine verses, there were four hallelujahs.

Hallelujah.

Salvation and glory and power belong to our God.

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

For the Lord our God, the Almighty reigns.

Now, these prayers of the hallelujah signify the Passover liturgy because Hallelujah comes from the Hallel Psalms, which are Psalms 113 to 118.

They either begin or end with, Hallelujah, Yahweh be praised.

Right?

And these were psalms that were and still are prayed within the Passover liturgy, because they give thanks to God for his mighty act of deliverance in setting his people free from Egypt in the first Exodus event, you see?

So, for John to hear the Heavenly Host singing Hallelujah, that signifies that what John is witnessing is a new Passover.

Amen.

Does that make sense?

Second Passover image, obviously would be the lamb.

Any Jew hearing about or seeing a lamb would think of the Passover lamb.

All right, so you have Hallelujah, you have a lamb.

By golly, this is a new Passover liturgy up there in heaven.

Well, wait a minute.

I thought the Last Supper was the new Passover in the Christian tradition?

Because at the Last Supper, Jesus is the true lamb of God, right?

He says, Eat my flesh, right?

So you had the, you had the true, the new lamb, Jesus.

There's a new lamb whose flesh you gotta eat.

There's a new deliverance, because Jesus promises the forgiveness of sins, right?

There's a new sacrifice going on.

He says, My flesh given up for you, my blood shed for you.

So the Last Supper was the new Passover.

In fact, he instituted the Eucharist within the context of the Passover meal.

Amen.

Okay?

So, the question is, well, by golly, if this is a new Passover in heaven, I thought the Last Supper was the new Passover?

What's the deal?

They're one and the same.

You see?

They're one and the same reality.

So the wedding feast of the lamb as the new Passover is the Last Supper from a heavenly perspective.

Yeah?

When he was on the cross, that's when it was finished, when he took the last breath.

That's right, that's right.

In regards to when Jesus said, It is finished, there's biblical exegesis that is done to suggest that Jesus' partaking of the wine on the cross completes the Passover celebration in order to signify that the Last Supper and the cross are intrinsically united and one and the same event.

And this actually applies to the wedding supper of the lamb, because what have we seen already in previous chapters?

The lamb is standing as though slain, signifying his sacrifice being made present to the Father in heaven.

The heavenly liturgy is the representation in an unbloody manner of the sacrifice of Christ, which is in the context of the wedding supper of the lamb.

So, the new, the wa- the new Passover, which is the Last Supper in heaven, is intrinsically associated with the sacrifice of Christ.

So just as on earth Howard, you brought up a good point here, brother.

Just as on earth, you have the Last Supper and the sacrifice of Christ together, so in the heavenly vision, you have the Last Supper, the wedding feast of the lamb, and the sacrifice of Christ, lamb standing as though slain, together.

You see that?

So, this is the same reality, just being experienced from, in two different realms.

Right?

And under two different modes of visible appearance.

Okay.

So, our first clue that the wedding feast of the lamb was the Last Supper was Jesus' invitation to the wedding feast.

Our second clue was the Passover imagery .

suggesting that this is a new Passover, when in the Christian tradition, the Last Supper was the new Passover, right?

Okay?

Now, let's go ahead and look at clue number three that the wedding feast of the Lamb is the Last Supper, and that is the motif or the theme of the new covenant meal.

What John sees here, we can conclude is the ratifying ceremony of the new covenant.

When the Christian tradition, the Last Supper was the ratifying ceremony of the new covenant.

Let me explain.

In the Jewish tradition, there were many features that constituted the making and the swearing of a covenant.

Three essential features were oath swearing, sacrifice, and a meal, and we see this primarily in Exodus chapter 24 when Moses is ratifying the covenant between Yahweh and the people of Israel.

In Exodus 24 verses three and seven, you have the oath swearing.

In Exodus chapter 24 verse eight you have the sacrifice, and in Exodus chapter 24:11 you have what?

The meal.

The covenantal meal sealing the oath in the ratifying ceremony.

Now, we come to John's vision in Revelation 13, and there seems to be this, this threefold element of ratifica- of covenant-making ceremony stuff, right?

Okay?

For example, you have possibly oath swearing in the hallelujah song, swearing an oath in the form of praising God.

You have sacrifice because remember the lamb standing as though slain in Revelation 5:8?

And then what do you have?

The meal.

This meal, this banquet that's being partaken of, would call to mind that this is a ratifying ceremony of a covenant.

This is a covenant-making meal, just like on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24, right?

So this would signify to us that what John is seeing is the ratifying ceremony because this is new covenant revelation, right?

This is all about the lamb and the church, Jesus and the church, which is the new covenant.

So, what John is seeing is the ratifying ceremony for the new covenant.

Well, wait a minute.

I thought the Last Supper was the ratifying ceremony for the new covenant, which it is.

Because in the Last Supper, we have oath swearing.

You have the promise of a new covenant and the forgiveness of sins coming from the lips of Jesus.

You have the sacrifice.

He says, This is my flesh given up for you, my blood shed for you, right?

Making a sacrifice present, present.

And then what do you have?

The meal.

Take and eat.

This is why the meal is an essential aspect of the sacrifice of the mass.

It is sacrifice, yes, but it is also meal.

These are two essential elements of a covenant-making ceremony.

Some theologians over the past 50 years have emphasized the meal aspect to the detriment of the sacrificial aspect, and thus know people no longer refer to the Mass as the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which is unfortunate.

But although the meal is an essential aspect, but the meal for the Last Supper is the partaking of the flesh of the lamb, right?

And so we see that the Last Supper was the ratifying ceremony of the new covenant.

So John sees in the vision ratifying ceremony of the new covenant, wedding supper of the Lamb.

Wait a minute.

I thought the Last Supper was the ratifying ceremony of the new covenant.

It is.

Well, how do they jive?

They're one and the same reality.

Does that make sense?

So, the Last Supper, the wedding supper of the Lamb is the Last Supper made present in the heavenly realm.

Yeah, Howard?

The other point you could make too is that, uh, Christ was slain once for all.

He is

Yeah.

in the everlasting covenant and that, that's the last supper the Lamb was in.

That's right, that's right.

The idea of Christ being slayed once and for all, this comes from Hebrews chapter seven verse 24 through 27.

Within that area, the author of Hebrews says, Christ has been sacrificed once and for all.

As Catholics, we understand that text as referring to Jesus' sacrifice, which is once, but then made present in heaven for all time.

And so, as Howard is pointing out is that the Last Supper is the last and final supper, but for all time.

It's not gonna be repeated.

It's going to be made present for all generations because the s- the Last Supper is the one sacrifice of Christ represented, made present for all generations.

How is that possible?

Because it's a transcendent reality.

It's not confined to space and time and history.

It's in the heavenly realm, and s- so consequently, it can be brought down into space and time at whatever time in man's history.

That's the Mass.

Finally, and we'll take a break after this.

The fourth clue that suggests the wedding feast of the Lamb is the Last Supper, is the imagery of the lamb and feasting.

Remember, recall, who is having this vision?

John the apostle, right?

And in his other writings, particularly his gospel, did he ever mention the fact or Let me just refer to it like this.

Did he ever include within his writings the image of lamb and feasting?

Yes.

Remember John the apostle's the one who records John the Baptist to say, Behold, the Lamb of God.

Right?

And then John the apostle is the one who records Jesus in John 6 saying, Eat my flesh.

And so John the apostle in his previous writings well, actually his later writings in his gospel, he already has combined the image of the lamb and feasting.

And here, the same John has the vision of the heavenly wedding banquet of the Lamb, where you have the combination of the images of lamb and feasting.

So if I experience or read this vision in light of John's teaching about Jesus' discourse, Bread of Life discourse, I'm gonna see lamb feasting.

Immediately, I'm gonna think of Eucharist .

in light of the tradition of Saint John when he records Jesus' Bread of Life discourse, and even at The Last Supper.

In the Christian tradition, we know Jesus took the bread and said, J- Jesus, the new lamb, right, said, Take and eat.

This is my body or flesh.

You see?

All right.

So in light of these clues, we, uh, conclude and suggest that the wedding supper of the Lamb is indeed the Eucharist.

And this, my dear friends, is the reality we are present at and that we experience when we go to Mass, amen?

Amen.

And so as church, as a whole, we are bride, right?

And so whose wedding feast is it when we go to Mass?

It's ours.

We, the bride, are going to feast and to celebrate with our divine Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.

And so it is a wedding banquet to which we go when we go to Mass.

Amen?

Amen.

And so consequently, we need to treat it as such in regard to proper dress, amen?

Amen.

Proper posture, proper prayers, proper speech.

We don't treat it just like any ordinary Joe Blow social event, but it's a celebration, you see?

Many folks, they dress to the nines to go to earthly weddings, and the tens sometimes.

But yet when it comes to the greatest wedding feast of the Lamb, the greatest wedding feast of all because it's the feast of the Divine King Himself, we dress as if and we treat it as if it's an ordinary social event.

So the principle Does that mean everybody has to have the same type of clothing?

No, that's not what I'm saying, but the principle is we must give them our best.

On my wedding day, I gave my wife my best and she gave me her best.

And so when we go to the Eucharist, to Mass, which is our wedding feast as church, as bride, we must give our Bridegroom our best, whatever that may be.

If it's shorts and flip-flops, by golly, that's your best.

Amen?

But if it's not, what does that say about my love for the Divine Bridegroom, you see?

And so this is something we need to think about, pray about, and ask the Lord for guidance.

And let us pray together as a whole that You know, just in our prayer, let us pray that we can begin as a people, as a church, to treat the holy sacrifice of the Mass as it is the heavenly banquet of the Lamb.

Okay?

So let's go ahead and take that short pause for a good cause.