Author Topic: Apocalypse Of Saint John (Revelation) (Read 652 times)

Peter15and1 · « **on:** June 22, 2015, 01:30:23 PM »

What is the Church's traditional teaching with regard to the Apocalypse Of Saint John, also known as the Book of Revelation? Many Protestants believe it is a literal rendering of how the world will end. I think the common refrain in the NO crowd is that it is not a prophesy of the future, but is rather an allegory for past events. For example, I've heard some in the NO crowd say that number of the beast, 666, refers to the Emperor Nero, and not the future anti-Christ. Does anyone know the tradition Church teaching on this?

Dolores · « **Reply #1 on:** June 23, 2015, 10:09:01 AM »

I don't think that there is any one "traditional" interpretation of the Book of Revelation, and there are, in fact, several legitimate ways of interpreting the text. Looking at the Haydock Commentary, in the introduction section to the Book of Revelation, several past interpretations are noted, and he even states that it may not be possible to know for sure which is correct:

Quote

Many think that most things set down from the fourth chapter to the end, will not be fulfilled till a little time before the end of the world. Others are of an opinion, that a great part of them, and particularly the fall of the wicked Babylon, happened at the destruction of paganism, by the destruction of heathen Rome, and its persecuting heathen emperors. Of these interpretations, see Alcazar in his long commentary, the learned Bossuet, bishop of Meaux, in his treatise on this book, and P. Alleman, in his notes on the same Apocalypse, tom. xii, who, in his preface, says, that this in a great measure may be now looked upon as the opinion followed by the learned. In fine, others think that St. John's design was in a mystical way, by metaphors and allegories, to represent the attempts and persecutions of the wicked against the servants of God, the punishments that should in a short time fall upon Babylon, that is, upon all the wicked in general; the eternal happiness and reward which God had reserved for the pious inhabitants of Jerusalem, that is, for his faithful servants, after their short trials and tribulations of this mortal life. In the mean time we meet with many profitable instructions and admonitions, which we may easily enough understand; but we have no certainty, when we apply these predictions to particular events; for as St. Jerome takes notice, the Apocalypse has as many mysteries as words, or rather mysteries in every word.

Croix de Fer · « **Reply #2 on:** June 23, 2015, 07:20:35 PM »

Quote from: Peter15and1

What is the Church's traditional teaching with regard to the Apocalypse Of Saint John, also known as the Book of Revelation? Many Protestants believe it is a literal rendering of how the world will end. I think the common refrain in the NO crowd is that it is not a prophesy of the future, but is rather an allegory for past events. For example, I've heard some in the NO crowd say that number of the beast, 666, refers to the Emperor Nero, and not the future anti-Christ. Does anyone know the tradition Church teaching on this?

Apocalypse of St. John (Book of Revelation) indicates the ability to buy and sell will be reserved to people who abide by the anti-Christ globalist system and / or anti-Christ false religion. These people will have The Mark on their forehead or right hand, which allows them to buy and sell. The Mark will be the character, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name, which is “666”. The number ”666” comes from events that occurred in St. Johns own day, which prefigures what he is prophesying to come in the “end time” or Apocalypse (which is revealed to him by Christ, for Christ speaks to him in this Book). Scriptures warns that many little anti-Christs will emerge before the main, final anti-Christ during the “end times”. Nero was one of these little anti-Christs who prefigures the emerging, main and final anti-Christ. Nero styled himself as “son of Isis” whose cult symbol was the Greek letters chi (600), xi, (60) and the obsolete stigma (6), totaling “666.”

Going back to the Old Testament, King Solomon was a righteous man blessed by the Lord with wisdom, but he fell from grace into lust, adultery, idolatry, narcissism, egoism, mammon and power grabbing. During King Solomon’s reign, he received “six hundred and sixty six” (666) talents of gold each year from the nations as tribute and a concession to his grandness. This also prefigures today’s developing anti-Christ globalist economic system and apostasy (which is disproportionately run and promulgated by Jєωs). The “666” Mark of the Beast will be used as a measure of the anti-Christ Jєω world order, and as a means to subjugate all people (non-Jєωs) as they must have this Mark in order to participate in the globalist economic system. There's more to this "666", but that's the basic view taught by the early Church and saints.

Peter15and1 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 24, 2015, 08:35:10 AM »

So is it certain then that the events described in Apocalypse will happen in the future?