Transcript

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

Simply, w- we pray a simple prayer.

Repeat after me.

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit

Come, Holy Spirit

Holy Spirit, come.

Holy Spirit, come.

Come by means of the powerful intercession

Come by means of the powerful intercession

Of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Amen.

Amen.

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

Okay, so, uh, for the sake of the audio and video and for you guys, I found the word that I was looking for When I was trying just to recall, I was trying to describe to you a false understanding of the thousand years, which will assert that the thousand years is a literal thousand-year reign of Christ on this earth, a sort of golden age.

And then after that thousand-year golden age of Christ physically raining down on this earth, uh, there's this final unleashing of Satan, et cetera.

Well, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 676, it entitles or it, uh, applies the title to this form of thinking, millenarianism.

That's I was missing the N .

Millenarianism.

It refers to this sort of attempt to realize in a secular, naturalistic way of the kingdom of Christ on this earth before the end of time.

You see, as Catholics, we believe that Christ will indeed literally reign in all of his majesty and glory on this earth in all And the kingdom will be absolutely perfected, but at the end of time, you see, at the general judgment, at the second coming.

That's when that literal reign of Christ on this earth will take place in all of its majesty.

But to say that Christ can reign in a literalistic way on this earth before that final time, the church labels it as millenarianism and rejects it as such.

So the idea that the reign of Christ is a literal thousand year reign on this earth before the end of time, the church rejects such a position.

And it talks about how it's a, um, pseudo secular messianism that is trying to realize Christ's Messiahship in a political, secular way, as opposed to Christ reigning as Messiah in a spiritual way.

And that is he is Remember he says to Pontius Pilate, His kingdom is not of this world.

Although it's in this world, it's not of this world because it's of a divine origin.

Okay.

So in the second half of our last lesson here, I'd like to pick up with the scene of the great white throne of judgment in Revelation 20:11-15.

Um, we And once again, this would be another element that would point toward the future, right?

The great white throne judgment.

The judgment, the great judgment of Christ has not taken place yet.

Christ did come and judgment on Jerusalem, but the This final judgment that the church recalls the general judgment that takes place at the end of time, of course hasn't happened yet.

This is in the future.

So here we have an element of the Book of Revelation where we do indeed see a futuristic interpretation.

And the first thing that I would like to reflect upon in the scene of the great white throne of judgment is Jesus's divinity.

We have a clue that suggests or implies that Jesus is God here, and that is the imagery of Christ on the throne as described in Revelation 20:11 we read, Then I saw a great white throne and him who sat upon it.

So there's the idea of Christ sitting on the throne in great You know, described with whiteness, right?

Perhaps in this bright white light.

Well, this seems to allude to the very description of God the Father, the ancient of days in Daniel 7:9 we read this, As I watched, thrones were set up and the ancient one who took his throne, his clothing was snow bright and the hair on his head as white as wool.

His throne was flames of fire with wheels of burning fire.

You see?

So notice how God is described in whiteness, so to speak, with the imagery of white there.

While Jesus is said to sit upon a great white throne.

So there would seem to be a parallel between Jesus and the ancient of days of, of Daniel's prophecy, thus suggesting Jesus is almighty God made flesh.

The second thing about this scene of the great white throne judgment is, uh, the great white throne of judgment, is Jesus is revealed to be the new Solomon, and thus the restoration of the Davidic kingdom.

So this idea of Jesus sitting on a white throne not only alludes to the throne of the ancient of days in Daniel 7, but also alludes to Solomon's throne.

In, um, in 1 Kings 10:18, we read, The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold.

A great ivory throne.

An ivory throne being a white throne, right?

And so some scholars see in this image of Jesus' white throne to be an indication that he is this new Solomon.

You see?

The son of David.

Thus the restoration of the Davidic kingdom.

And finally, the last thing that we see in this scene of the great white throne of judgment, which Jesus would speak about in parable form in Matthew 25 when all the nations are gathered before him, right?

This final eschatological judgment.

Eschatological simply coming from the Greek word eschaton, which means the last things, right?

That judgment, that general judgment at the end of time.The, the, the third thing that we see in this scene of that eschatological judgment is the new Exodus.

And the clue lies in Revelation 20:11.

We read, From his presence, earth and sky fled away and no place was found for them.

Note the imagery of the earth and the sky fleeing, right?

Well, if you ever discover something weird in the New Testament and you don't know what it's referring to, it probably came from the Old Testament, right?

So is there any text in the Old Testament where it speaks of the earth and the sky fleeing or flying away?

Well, the answer is yes.

In Isaiah 51:6, Isaiah is actually describing the new Exodus, that, that Exodus event that God will lead his people on, delivering them from their enemy, setting them free, and saving them, right?

Well, that new Exodus involves judgment on the enemies of God and salvation for God's people.

Here's how Isaiah describes it.

My deliverance draws near speedily.

My salvation has gone forth, and my arms will rule the peoples.

The coastlands wait for me, and for my arm they hope.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look at the Earth beneath, for the heavens will vanish like smoke.

The Earth will wear out like a garment.

But my salvation will be forever, and my deliverance will never be ended.

Close quote.

So in Isaiah's prophecy, we find this imagery of, uh, the heavens and the earth vanishing, flying away, right?

No longer Or passing away, which would seem Which is similar to John's vision of i- of Revelation 20:11.

The earth and the sky fled away.

So that imagery would call to mind Isaiah's prophecy of a new Exodus, deliverance, salvation.

Okay?

So the interpretive application is that, my dear friends, at the end of time, at this great white throne of judgment, the new Exodus will ultimately be completed because we, God's people, will ultimately be delivered finally, definitively from our enemy Satan, death, and sin.

Death will be no more.

Death will no longer have a hold of us.

Why?

Because we will rise in our bod- in our new bodies, in the bodily resurrection at the end of time.

And that ultimate new Exodus will take place because we will journey from this life, the people of God will journey from this life to the next, which is ultimately the true promised land.

You see?

So this is the significance in this scene of the great white throne of judgment.

That is the new Exodus is taking place.

Okay, now let's move to our fourth component for tonight's study, and that is John's vision of the New Jerusalem.

In Revelation chapters 21 all the way going through chapter 22.

And there are several themes that I'm going to highlight for you in regard to this vision of the New Jerusalem.

Uh, the first theme that we see is that the New Jerusalem is indeed the church.

And there's one specific clue, and that is found in Revelation 21:9-10, where the New Jerusalem is referred to as the bride of the Lamb.

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 me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God.

Right?

Well, notice how the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city, is referred to as the bride of the Lamb.

Well, in the Christian tradition, who or what is the bride of the Lamb?

It's the church.

St. Paul tells us in Ephesians 5:28-32 as well as 2 Corinthians 11:2, you can cross-reference that, St. Paul teaches that the church is the bride of Christ.

So notice how St. John describes the church in this heavenly vision as the heavenly Jerusalem.

And that is the church in its perfected state, the bride of the Lamb in its perfected state of existence.

That is, at the end of time, after Christ comes in all of his glory and vanquishes all of evil, there the bride will enter into her state of glory, mkay?

So the New Jerusalem is the church.

So think about this.

Why would the old Jerusalem have to be destroyed?

Because it's a sign of the existence of the New Jerusalem, that New Jerusalem which is perfected in heaven, but the church on Earth is an extension of that heavenly city.

You see?

All right, the second theme is the Messianic era and the restoration of Israel.

I would suggest that John's vision of the New Jerusalem has to be read in light of the whole divine drama of salvation history, of the prophetical promises, of the divine promises through the prophets, and the Messianic hope that God one day would send this Messiah to save his people and restore his people.

And we see that that restoration comes through Jesus and the church.

So what are the clues for the, for the New Jerusalem signaling the Messianic era and the restoration of God's people, thus the culmination and the climax of this whole divine drama that the Father has been acting out in the history of mankind?

There are nine clues I'm gonna share with you.

And so this serves to be our study going through chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation.

Our first clue is the new heaven, the imagery of the new heaven and a new earth.

In Revelation 21:1 and 5 we read, The new heaven and the new earth.

Behold, I make all things new.

Right?

Well, my dear friends, for any Jew in the first century, they would immediately call to mind several prophecies of the Old Testament.

I'll share with you two in particular.

Isaiah 43:16 and 19.

Isaiah's prophesying about the restoration of Israel and the Messianic age to come, which includes the new creation theme.

We read-And thus says the Lord who makes a way in the sea.

Hmm, a way in the sea.

Well, that calls to mind the first Exodus, right?

Well, Isaiah's prophesying about a new Exodus.

Okay?

And notice the image or the imagery that's associated with this new Exodus.

A path in the mighty waters.

Behold, I am doing a new thing.

Now it springs forth.

Do you not perceive it?

I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.

What did John say in Revelation 21 verse 5? Behold, I make Uh, uh, Jesus is saying, Behold, I make all things new.

That's directly from Isaiah's prophecy of how God will do a new thing, making a path in the sea that is leading this new Exodus.

And then finally in Isaiah chapter 65 verses 17 through 19, we read specifically about a new heaven and a new earth.

For behold, God says, I create new heavens and a new earth.

And the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind, but be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create.

For behold, I create Jerusalem.

I create Je- a new Jerusalem, folks.

This is what Isaiah's prophesying about.

I created Jerusalem a rejoicing and her people a joy.

Verse 19, I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people.

No more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.

Close quote.

So Isaiah's talking about a new heaven, a new earth, a new Jerusalem where there's no more weeping, no more, no more sorrow, no more grief.

That prophecy begins to come to fulfillment during the age of the church, because the church is the new Jerusalem and the beginning of the new creation.

But that new creation ultimately comes to completion at the end of time, as Saint John says in Revelation 21, the new heaven and the new earth.

So that vision shows us that Isaiah's prophecy comes ultimately to fulfillment at the end of time when the new heaven and the new earth is inaugurated with the second coming of Christ.

You see?

So what we're doing here is eschatological study, right?

We're studying eschatology here, the study of the end times.

So as the Catholic Church affirms in her section on, in the, uh, creed on, on the Uh, let's see.

It talks about, um, at the end of time, at the end of the creed in that particular arti- article, I believe in life everlasting.

It speaks of the general judgment and the new creation, the new heaven and the new earth.

This is what we believe as Catholics, that there will be a literal transformation of the material universe.

And that at the second coming when all of evil is vanquished, there will indeed be a transformation of the material cosmos.

Just as we will be transformed in our bodies and we will receive new bodies, so the cosmos as a whole will be recreated and the material universe will indeed exist, and we will dwell on a new earth taking on whole new characteristics.

And that's a whole 'nother talk for a whole 'nother time, but we see it implied here in the sacred text.

So the interpretive application, my dear friends, is that the church, the new Jerusalem, brings about the salvation of God's people and leads the new Exodus, inaugurates the new Exodus, which is the journey from sin to eternal life, the true promised land.

So the Church of Jesus Christ is indeed the fulfillment of the Messianic hope.

Clue number two about the Messianic era and the restoration of Israel.

In Revelation 21 verse one, we read about how the sea was no more, Saint John says.

Well, in the Old Testament, guess what the sea is associated with?

Gentile nations.

Gentile nations.

We spoke about this in the past.

Psalm 65, Daniel 7, the sea is associated with Gentile nations.

So if John says in his vision the sea was no more, what does that imply?

Uh,

The Gentile nations are no longer have power over God's people.

That is to say God is coming in judgment on those Gentile nations, will bring victory over for God's people and victory and defeat on those Gentile nations.

Which at the end of time, recall the Antichrist will bring together various nations to persecute God's people as the catechism affirm.

Well, God will come in judgment.

John is offering a vision of the end of time where the Gentile nations, those enemies of God will no longer be.

Those who persecute the Messianic people will no longer be.

Why?

Because there will be a new heaven and a new earth where there will be no more sin, no more evil, no more distress, et cetera.

Clue number three for the Messianic era and the restoration of Israel at the end of time.

The dwelling of God with his people in Revelation chapter 21 verse three.

Behold the dwelling of God is with men.

He will dwell with them and they shall be his people and God himself will be with them.

Well, this idea of God dwelling with his people is an essential element of the Messianic hope found in the prophets.

For example, Ezekiel 37:26 through 28, My servant David shall be king over them and they shall all have one shepherd.

They shall dwell in the land where their f- where your fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob.

They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever.

And David, my servant shall be their prince forever.

Verse 26.

I will make a covenant of peace, so note a new covenant, with them.

It shall be an everlasting covenant with them.

I will bless them and multiply them and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them forevermore.

My dwelling place shall be with them and I will be their God and they shall be my people.

So when Ezekiel's prophesying about the restoration of God's people in the Messianic era, it speaks of God dwelling with his people.

Now that prophecy is fulfilled in a partial manner with the advent of Christ, right?

Because Christ is the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form.

He is God made flesh, God dwelling in the midst of his people.

Amen? but that prophecy will ultimately and per- perfectly be fulfilled at the end of time where Jesus Christ will dwell here in all of His majesty and all of His glory when the church enters into her state of glory with the new heaven and the new earth.

So we see a pretorous level of interpretation here of how what John is seeing would signify the reign of Christ on this Earth during the church age, from the beginning of the first century on.

But also at the end of time where Christ will reign and dwell on Earth, literalistically, in all of His glory and all of His majesty on the new heaven and the new earth.

Clue number four.

Notice the covenantal language in Revelation 21:3.

They shall be his people.

That's covenantal language.

The idea of God's people being His people, right?

That language, that covenantal language is found in Jeremiah's prophecy of the new exodus and salvation of Israel.

In Jeremiah 31, listen to what he writes in verse 31 through 33.

'Behold the days are coming,' says the Lord, 'when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

Not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt.

My covenant, which they broke, though I was their husband,' says the Lord.

'But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,' says the Lord.

'I will put my law within them and I will write it upon their hearts.

I will be their God and they shall be my people.' So in Revelation 21:3, when we read how God is saying they shall be his people, that immediately calls to mind Jeremiah's prophecy.

So that new covenant that Jeremiah prophesies of comes into existence and is inaugurated with the advent of Christ.

But it comes to completion and is perf- perfected at the end of time with the new heaven and the new earth.

That new exodus comes to completion where all of God's people ultimately enter into that true promised land of the new heaven and the new earth, which is the New Jerusalem.

Clue number five that suggests, uh, the Messianic era and the restoration of Israel at the end of time, the new heaven and the new earth, and that is the imagery of the wiping away of tears.

In Revelation 21:4 we read the following.

He will wipe away every tear from their eyes and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.

Well, this imagery is found in the Prophet of Isaiah.

Isaiah 25:8, On this mountain, the Lord of Hosts will make for all peoples a feast.

He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.

It will be said on that day, 'This is the Lord.

We have waited for him.

Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.' So it's obvious that John's vision is meant to be read and interpreted in light of Isaiah's prophecy about the Messianic age, and the Messiah come to inaugurate this Messianic banquet and salvation for God's people.

Well, that prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in and through the church, which is the New Jerusalem, it ultimately coming to perfection at the end of time with the new heaven and the new earth.

So God's The salvation of God's people is achieved through Christ and the church, which is the New Jerusalem.

Clue number six for this motif of the Messianic era and the restoration of God's people.

The fulfillment of the Messianic hope.

And that is the imagery of the gates on each side of the city walls.

Here's what we read in Revelation 21:12-13.

It had a great high wall, that is this heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, had a great high wall with 12 gates and at the gates, 12 angels.

And on the gates, the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed.

Verse 13.

'On the east, three gates.

On the north, three gates.

On the south, three gates.

On the west, three gates.' And the wall of the city had 12 foundations and on them, the 12 names of the 12 apostles of the lamb.

Close quote.

Now, I want you to note that description of the gates on each side of the city walls of this New Jerusalem, and compare that with Ezekiel's prophecy of the restored Jerusalem in the Messianic era.

Ezekiel 48:31-34.

Here's what we find within the whole context.

There shall be the exits of the city on the north side, three gates on the south side, three gates on the west side, three gates on the east side, three gates.

You think John's vision's supposed to be read in light of Ezekiel's prophecy?

.

Indeed.

Ezekiel's prophesying about the restoration of the city of Jerusalem, about a New Jerusalem, and John sees that new Jerusalem.

And what is that new Jerusalem?

It's the church!

So the church, my dear friends, is indeed the fulfillment of the Messianic hope.

It is in and through Jesus Christ and the church, the New Jerusalem, that God's people find their salvation.

Clue number seven for this motif of the Messianic era restoration of Israel, and that is the imagery of the continual light.

No darkness.

We read about this in Revelation 21:23-26.

You can check that out on your own time.

Well, this idea of continual light and no darkness seems to call to mind and allude to Isaiah's description of the restoration of Israel and the fulfillment of her duty to witness to the nations with her bright light in Isaiah chapter 60.

Uh, Israel had a vocation to be a light to the nations, right?

Well, Israel of old would fail in that vocation, fail to be a light to the nations, precisely because Israel would kill the very Messiah she was hoping to come and deliver her.

Well, John has a vision of the New Jerusalem having a continual light and no darkness.Well, that signifies that the New Jerusalem is the new Israel fulfilling the very vocation of the Israel of old.

Well, what is the New Jerusalem?

What is the new Israel?

It's the church.

So the church, my dear friends, the Christian people who surround themselves around the messiah Jesus, are indeed the people of God in the new covenant.

We are the new Israel.

As St. Paul would say in Romans 2, We are the true Jews.

Clue number eight for the Messianic era, we got two more clues here.

The imagery of the flowing water through the city.

In Revelation chapter 22 verses 1 through 2, St. John describes how there is water flowing through this heavenly city.

Well, this would automatically call to mind the prophet Zechariah.

In Zechariah chapter 14, Zechariah has a vision of water flowing through the restored Jerusalem in the Messianic age to which all the nations flock to worship God the King.

Zechariah writes, Zechariah chapter 14 verse 8, starting with verse 8 here, On that day, living water shall flow out from Jerusalem.

What day?

The day of the Messiah, the Messianic age.

On that day, water shall flow out from Jerusalem, so signifying a new Jerusalem.

It shall be inhabited for there shall be no more curse.

Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

Then everyone that survives of all the nations that have come against Jerusalem shall go up year after year to worship the king, the Lord of Hosts.

John's vision suggests that Zechariah's prophecy is ultimately fulfilled in the New Jerusalem, the heavenly city.

Now, that N- New Jerusalem is the church on this Earth, but in an extended fashion.

So Zechariah's prophecy partially comes to fulfillment during the church age, but ultimately at the end of time in the new heaven and the new Earth, as indicated here in John's vision.

Well, what's associated with Zechariah's prophecy?

Worship All the nations worshiping God as king, you see, which will indeed be present on the new heaven, on the new Earth, which is new, uh, hea- the new heavens and the new Earth, right?

The new creation.

All the nations will be worshiping Jesus Christ as king.

Now, what I find interesting is that notice how Zechariah's prophecy speaks of all the nations worshiping God as king.

Well, John's vision is about the new Jerusalem, right, and all the nations worshiping whom?

The lamb, Jesus, thus indicating Jesus is God, the king that Zechariah prophesied of in chapter 14.

So the interpretive application obviously is the church is the new Jerusalem of the Messianic age in which the living water Now keep in mind this, the living water that flows through the church, the new Jerusalem, right?

What is that living water?

It's the Holy Spirit.

And we get an indication of this in John chapter 7 verse 39.

Uh, when Jesus is talking When we, when we encounter this imagery of living water, we're told that that living water refers to the Holy Spirit.

And it's the Holy Spirit that leads the nations, the Gentiles to flock to King Jesus to worship him, you see?

Where?

In the New Jerusalem, which is the church.

The church here on Earth by way of extension, but ultimately the church in the new heaven and the new Earth.

And finally, clue number nine for the Messianic era and the restoration of Israel, this sort of economic significance of the vision.

Uh, looking at the vision in light of salvation history, right, and the Messianic hope.

And this clue is the imagery of nothing being cursed, nothing accursed.

In Revelation 22 verse three we read the following.

There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him.

Well, this calls to mind Zechariah 14:11 where Zechariah's vision is of the restored Jerusalem in the Messianic age.

We read, And it shall be inhabited.

There shall be no more curse.

Jerusalem shall dwell in security.

And this, so the interpretive application, Jerusalem is restored through the church.

And so what's interesting is that here in this particular vision of John of the new Jerusalem, we have all of these Old Testament prophecies that are alluded to, thus signifying that the prophecies, although come to fulfillment in a partial way with the advent of Christ and the establishment of the church here on Earth during the millennial reign in the church age, John is also revealing that those prophecies are completely fulfilled when the church enters into her state of glory in the new heavens and the new Earth, okay, which is the New Jerusalem.

All right, so that's our second theme.

The Messianic era and the restoration of Israel.

Kinda reading this vision in light of this salvation history approach.

Now, theme three is the new temple of the Messianic age.

So not only do we have a vision of the new Jerusalem, but we also have this m- the theme of the new temple.

The first clue is that the holy city is engulfed with the glory of the Lord.

There in Revelation 21:11, The holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God having the glory of God.

And that's very significant for a first century Jew.

Why?

Because in the Old Testament according to Ezekiel chapter 10 verse four, prior to the destruction of the temple in 587 BC, the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah, left temple, the temple, Solomon's temple.

It left the temple because Jeremiah would take the ark and hide the ark.

But we're told that the glory of the Lord would leave the temple prior to its destruction.

And in Ezekiel chapter 43 verses four through five, Ezekiel prophes- prophesies how the glory of the Lord would return to the temple.

You see?

Well, in John's vision, John sees the glory of the Lord filling the heavenly sanctuary, the heavenly city.

So that signifies that heaven itself is indeed the new temple, and thus Ezekiel's prophecy is ultimately fulfilled.

And once again, we see this, this balancing of the literal historical level and the futuristic level, because did the glory of the re- did the glory of the Lord return in the first century?Yes, it did.

The glory of the Lord returned and overshadowed Mary at the enunciation.

And the glory of the Lord overshadowed Jesus at the transfiguration, so thus signifying the existence of the new temple, right?

Jesus is indeed the new temple.

But we also see a futuristic aspect of the glory of the Lord filling the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, which is the church.

So, the return of the glory of the Lord is in the church, and thus the Christian church is the new temple.

You see?

All right.

Clue number two for the new temple of the messianic age.

The measuring of the city.

In Revelation 21:15-16 we find this.

We'll recall Ezekiel is told, in Ezekiel chapters 40-42, he's told to measure the new temple within the context of the glory of God returning and establishing the messianic age.

So Ezekiel has to measure the city in the context of God's glory returning in the messianic age.

Well, John, in his vision, is told to measure the heavenly city within the context of the glory of God returning.

So, the new Jerusalem, which is the church, is the new temple of the messianic age.

It's the fulfillment of Ezekiel's prophecy and in his vision, chapters 40-42.

Clue number three for the new temple motif.

And that is the description of the holy city in Revelation 21:17-21 parallels the description of the temple cult of Israel.

And I think we may have mentioned this in the past.

Now recall, the temple cult of Israel simply refers to the liturgical worship associated with the temple.

So, the way John sees or describes the new Jerusalem or the holy city parallels the temple- temple worship, right?

So let's look at a few of these parallels.

First of all, the precious stones.

This would call to mind the construction of the tabernacle itself, which was a prototype of the temple in Exodus 28:17-20 and Exodus 39:10-13.

It would also call to mind, uh, the precious stones on the breastplate of the high priest, that the high priest was to wear as he would enter into the tabernacle in the wilderness, and even Solomon's temple, when he would enter into the holy place to minister as priest on behalf of the people.

He wore this breastplate of 12 precious stones to signify the 12 tribes of Israel that he was bringing into God's presence to pray for.

You see?

So, John's vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, is embedded with precious stones, jewels, right?

Well, that would immediately call to mind the cult of Israel, the temple, the tabernacle.

Second parallel, the pure gold imagery, right, that John describes the heavenly city to have would immediately allude to the temple on Earth, Solomon's temple, which was overlaid with gold.

You see?

And then thirdly, oh, the- s- sorry.

No, I don't have a third parallel here.

So what's the interpretive application?

What's the point of the parallels?

Well, the point is is that the new Jerusalem, which is the church, is the new temple.

Okay?

The church is the new temple, the new dwelling of God.

And follow this.

If the church is the new temple, well then that means there's a new cult, right?

And what I mean by that word is simply a new form of liturgical worship, where a body of people act and worship in a common way, in reference to God, you see?

And so if there's a new temple, there's a new liturgical worship.

So the temple of old has passed away.

The old cult, the old liturgical worship of Israel has passed away and made way for the new.

And remember in our past sessions we described that new liturgical worship in the heavenly sanctuary in the heavenly temple.

And so this is what John is sort of bringing all together in this vision of the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem.

Okay, and then finally, clue number four for the new temple motif is the imagery of the river of the water of life in Revelation 22:1-2.

And this would call to mind Ezekiel chapter 22 Excuse me, Ezekiel chapter 47, where Ezekiel prophesies about the new temple of the restored Israel in the messianic age, that, He brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshoe- uh, threshold of the temple toward the east.

This is exactly what John sees in his vision of Revelation chapter 22.

So the promise of the restoration of Israel and the new temple finds its fulfillment in and through the church, because the church is the new Jerusalem.

Now, uh, the last theme that we'll reflect upon here in this vision of the new Jerusalem is the church as the new Eden, i.e., a new creation.

Okay?

And the first clue would be the precious stones.

Notice how John describes the heavenly city or the new Jerusalem, which we know to be the church, with precious stones.

Well, guess what?

Ezekiel describes the Garden of Eden with precious stones, with the imagery of precious stones.

Listen to what he writes in Ezekiel chapter 28 verse 13.

You were in Eden, the garden of God.

Every precious stone was your covering, cornelian, topaz, and jasper, uh, chrysolite, beryl, and onyx, sapphire, and carbuncle, and emerald, and wrought and gold were your settings and your engravings.

On the day that you were created, they were prepared.

Close quote.

So Ezekiel associates the Garden of Eden, the first creation, with precious stones and gold.

What does John associate the new Jerusalem with?

Precious stones and gold.

So the new Jerusalem, right, is like a new Eden.

The church is a new Eden.

Why?

Because in the church, we have the dwelling of God.Who dwelt in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve?

God.

God walked with Adam and Eve, He spoke with them, He dwelt in their midst.

So the Church is this new Eden.

Uh, the new Jerusalem is a new creation, you see?

Clue number two, uh, for the Church as the new Eden and the new creation theme, and that is the 12 angels guarding the gates of the new city in Revelation 21:12.

Well, in the Old Testament, you recall, the angel Oh, sorry about that.

The angel was guarding the Garden of Eden after the fall, right?

So if you have angels guarding the heavenly city, well, I remember an angel guarding the Garden of Eden, so there must be a connection between the two, and indeed there is.

The new creation is brought about in and through the perfection of the Church at the end of time, the heavenly Jerusalem coming down to Earth.

Clue number three, you have the image of the Tree of Life in Revelation 22:2.

Well, obviously that's a direct allusion to the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 2:9, right?

So what's the interpretive application?

Well, my dear friends, the Church is a new creation.

The Church, which is the New Jerusalem, is a return to the Garden of Eden.

So notice how Adam and Eve fell, or were exiled out of the Garden of Eden, and the human race as a whole, but the whole s- drama of salvation history is how the Father leads his human family back to a restored Garden of Eden, namely the New Jerusalem, the Church.

And so once again, humanity has access to God's dwelling, has access to God's presence, has access to the true Tree of Life, the true fruit of the Tree of Life, which is Jesus Christ Himself.

As St. Ignatius would say, The medicine of immortality, in reference to the Eucharist, you see?

So there's this whole, uh, exile and then a return back, you see?

So what Here's an interesting thought.

What the Israelites experienced Okay, notice how, notice this pattern.

Adam and Eve were exiled out of the Garden, right?

Israelites are exiled out of the Promised Land and they returned back to the Promised Land.

Well, the story of Israel is the story of the human race in mini form.

As the Israelites and God's people in a selected mini form, right, are exiled out of their land and promised to return back to their land, well, that's the story of the whole human family as a whole.

As the human family is exiled out of the Garden of Eden and the presence of God in Adam and Eve, so too the human family is meant to return back to the presence of God, to a new, restored Garden of Eden, which is the new Jerusalem, the Church.

And so in and through the Church, there we have access to God once again.

Amen?

Amen.

So that's the significance of John's vision of the New Jerusalem as found in Chapters 21 through 22.

It is basically the culmination of all of salvation history, mm-kay?

Of the Father returning his human family back to himself that will ultimately take place at the end of time with the new Heaven and the new Earth, the new creation, where the Church enters into her perfected state of glory.

And it is there, my dear friends, that we will see the masterful plan of God in perfection and how he worked it out all throughout the dawn, all throughout, excuse me, all throughout human history, from the dawn of human existence to the very last human created.

So in conclusion, let's sort of wrap things up and summarize what we have studied over the past six weeks.

First of all, I would like to draw to or recall to your mind the theme of liturgy as warfare, right?

Remember the pattern that we saw in Revelation 4-8?

We read about liturgy.

And after that liturgical revelation of Revelation 4-5, what do we have?

Judgment that's brought about by the opening of the seven seals, right?

So you have liturgy, then judgment.

In Revelation 8-9, liturgy comes before the judgment brought about by the blowing of the seven trumpets.

There we have liturgy, judgment again.

In Revelation 15-16, liturgy comes before the judgment brought about with the pouring of the seven chalices.

And finally, in Revelation 19-22 you had the wedding feast of the Lamb, which is a liturgical element, as we indicated in last week's session.

And after that comes the judgment on the harlot city and the beast and the casting into the lake of fire, and then the new creation, right?

So notice four times we see this pattern of liturgy, then judgment.

The seals, the seven trumpets, the seven chalices, and then the harlot city and the beast being destroyed.

So what's the significance?

My dear friends, liturgy is warfare.

God brings about his victory for his people in and through religious means, and contrast that to military political power.

God does not come riding in on a white horse, um, ris- raising up a political militaristic king to set his people free.

But the Father sends his Son, and we see that all throughout salvation history.

God brings victory for his people in and through religious means, through the liturgy, through prayer.

That is how we fight our battles.

And sometimes in some cases, even political enemies, physical enemies are brought to their knees and brought down and are destroyed through religious means, as we see all the way back in salvation history when the Israelites brought down the walls of Jericho through religious means, through prayer, right?

We see that Jerusalem is destroyed through the prayer of the heavenly liturgy.

Well, at the end of time, folks-The antichrist himself and all of the nations that he gathers around himself to persecute the holy ones of God, that evil will be brought to an end primarily in and through liturgical means.

It will be through prayer and through the liturgy that the antichrist will be brought to an end, namely Jesus coming himself to vanquish the e- evil one.

And that coming will be brought about through the prayer of the church, where we say, Come, Lord Jesus.

You see?

Okay.

So that's the first thing to recall and to call to mind.

Liturgy is warfare.

We fight our battles through liturgy.

We fight our battles through prayer.

Secondly, we see the Abrahamic promises are ultimately fulfilled through the restored Davidic kingdom, which is the Church of Jesus Christ.

Recall that God promised Abraham, Abraham, your descendants will be a nation possessing the land.

Your descendants will become a kingdom led by a king, and your descendants, your, your seed will bless all the families of the earth.

Well, the whole prophecy of John's revelation signifies the fulfillment ultimately of those promises to Abraham.

That, um, there is the restoration of David's kingdom, right?

That d- Abraham's descendants will be a kingdom.

Well, that kingdom has fallen, but David's kingdom is restored and transfigured in and through Jesus.

And that all the families of the earth are blessed through the Davidic Messiah, King Jesus, which ultimately brings about the fulfillment of that third promise made to Abraham, where all the families of the earth will be blessed.

This is the significance of John's vision in Revelation 7, about all of the multitude from all the different tribes, tongues and nations in the presence of the Lamb, at the throne of the Lamb, worshiping the Lamb, right?

So there's this inclusion of all the nations constituting the new Jerusalem, the church.

Thirdly, we have, uh, the idea of the primary judgment prophesied by John is the destruction of Jerusalem for infidelity to the covenant, and that's obvious.

That is one of the major themes we were hammering, um, week in and week out.

John prophesies about the impending destruction of Jerusalem.

Why?

Because they were unfaithful to the covenant.

They persecuted not only the Messiah, but the Messianic people, and consequently, they became an enemy of God, and God came in judgment on them to vindicate his people.

As, uh, the

Yeah.

mourners cry out in Revelation 6:9-10, How long will it be, oh Lord, before you avenge our blood?

God came and avenged the blood of his people by leading allowing the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem in 70 AD.

And that is what John's prophecy is all about, primarily.

That it is primarily fulfilled in the first century, but as we've seen, there are indications that point and imply f- to point toward and imply the end times, right?

So then let's This leads us to the last theme in concluding our seminar, and that is implications for the end of time.

The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD is a type of what is to come at the end of time.

Just as Jerusalem became a nation that is an enemy of God's people and thus incurred judgment upon themself through destruction, so too at the end of time, those nations that, uh, become enemies of God and his people will incur judgment and destruction upon themself, and God will come to vindicate his people in the second coming of Jesus Christ.

And we know this because the temple was seen as a mini-cosmos.

The, the, the Jews understood that the temple was a m- microcosm of the macro temple of the universe.

Uh, the outer court where the bronze laver, where the priest would wash their hands after they would sacrifice the animals was called the sea.

Within the holy place, there were carvings of palm trees on the walls to signify the earth.

The menorah and the seven golden branch uh, the seven branch golden lamp stand, right?

The seven lights signified the light of the moon and the stars and the sun and the planets that were visible during the day that for the first century.

On the temple veil, there were stars and the constellation of the stars on the temple veil to signify the heavens.

So the temple was a mini cosmos.

So for the mini cosmos to be destroyed because it became an enemy of God, that is a type of the destruction of the macro cosmos, or the end of the macro cosmos at the end of the world, which we do believe as scripture teaches, the heavens and the earth and I'm speaking of heavens as the, the stars, right?

And that in which dwells in the heavens.

The heavens and the earth as we know it will pass away.

How that will take place, we don't exactly know.

You know, the it's not like the earth's gonna blow up, but indeed, as the mini cosmos passes away, so too the macro cosmos will pass away, making way for the new heaven and the new earth.

You see?

So all of this stuff that we've been reflecting upon for the destruction of Jerusalem has futuristic implications to it.

God writes his story.

God acts out his divine play.

Well, let me just stick with the story imagery.

God writes his story not with ink as we do, and a pen.

God writes his divine story with people, with events.

So as we saw how the destruction of the temple of old was a ty- was a type of the destruction of the temple of new, so the destruction of that temple in 70 AD is a type of the destruction of the macro temple, the universe, at the end of time.

You see?

And we al- we can also see this.

What was the true temple?

Jesus' body .

the destruction of Jesus' body.

When Jesus died, what happened?

The temple was rent, the temple veil was rent in two, right?

What happened?

The Earth was split.

That was the destruction of the true temple.

That was a foreshadowing of the destruction of the earthly temple that would take place in 70 AD, okay?

Where the temple veil would be totally destroyed, right?

Where the, uh, the heavens and the Earth pass away, symbolized in the mini cosmos of the temple.

Well, the destruction of the earthly temple is a foreshadowing of the end of time.

Where the macro temple, the universe, passes away, makes way for the new creation, the new Heaven, the new Earth, where God will dwell with his people in a perfected state of glory.

Amen?

Amen.

So hopefully, my dear friends, we can see how this whole vision of John is just packed with meaning and there's various levels of interpretation.

And reading the new in light of the old, we can see how those various levels of interpretation can be applied.

Amen?

Amen.

So there we have, my dear friends, uh, my feeble attempt to offer you something or a framework of working through the Book of Revelations.

So thus, hopefully we have some mystery unveiled, but hopefully that mystery you can see goes even deeper, right?

So we shed a little light in the midst of infinite darkness.

But I guarantee you, I don't know about you, but for me, a little light is better than none.

Amen?

Amen.

Okay, thank you.

So let's go ahead and, uh, we'll close with a word of prayer.

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

God our Father, we thank you and we praise you for this glorious revelation that you gave to St. John, which allowed for the preservation of the Christian church in the first century.

Because in light of this revelation, Father, you gave signs to those first century Christians to leave the city of Jerusalem in order that they would not be destroyed by the Roman Empire, so that they can continue to minister to your people and to administer the graces through the sacraments.

So we thank you for the heavenly revelation given to St. John, in particular for the Church of the first century.

But we also thank you, Father, for this heavenly revelation in regard in how it applies to us because we know, Lord, that, uh, this is a call of conversion for us.

For us to reflect upon our own lives and to make sure that the inner city of our soul is being faithful to you so that we can conform our lives to you in order that we do not come under that judgment and be destroyed in the death of the soul through mortal sin.

We pray that by the grace, oh God, by your grace and the Holy Spirit, we may persevere in friendship with your son, Jesus Christ, and in communion with you so that we can participate in that first resurrection.

And, uh, dying in friendship with you, entering into the beatific vision in order that the second death of damnation will indeed have no power over us.

We look forward to the day, God, when we can reign with you, not only in Heaven as it exists now, but in the heavenly Jerusalem in its perfected state in the new Heaven and the new Earth.

May we persevere until the end so that we can experience that glorious state of existence.

We thank you, Father, for all of these truths that you have revealed to us.

We thank you for your masterful plan of love.

We give praise, thanks, and glory to you, in the name of your son, Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, in the Holy Spirit as we pray.

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

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.