Theology 25 multiple choice #3

Adam fell because he loved his earthly life more than supernatural life. He refused to be a martyr. He refused to give God his own life in love. […]

Out of fear of suffering, Adam chose the latter. This is what Hebrews

But why was the price so high to get

Heaven is not a place where little baby angels fly around all day. It is not a place with

If heaven is

Heaven is entering into the life of perfect love. There we will experience and share in true love. This is our fulfillment

This is why Adam had to die – because that is what

Offering his life in sacrificial love was Adam’s calling. Therefore, it is

“Priesthood” and “sonship”

Adam is also described

The Book of Revelation […] who makes himself a sacrifice as a “martyr,” freeing us by his blood, and making us a “kingdom of priests.” Throughout the Book of Revelation, we will continue to find this link between martyrdom, being a child of God, priesthood, kingship, and sacrifice.

7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

In verse 7, John alludes to two passages. First, Jesus’ coming on the clouds evokes Daniel 7:13. In Daniel 7, the Son of Man comes in the clouds to receive the kingdom. He then turns and gives it to the saints who persevered through persecution.

The reference to those who “will wail” upon seeing him whom they “pierced,” comes from Zechariah 12:10: “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of compassion and supplication, so that, when they look on him whom they pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child.” In Zechariah 12, the people look upon the death of the Davidic king and mourn for him. Because of this, the people repent, and sin is cleansed from the land. God comforts the inhabitants of Jerusalem and restores his people to himself (Zechariah 13:1-9).

John combines two passages that both speak about the Messiah’s victory over evil and the coming messianic kingdom. As we will see, Christ is the Son of Man about whom Daniel prophesied. He brings about the restoration of God’s kingdom. Likewise, Jesus is the Davidic king who is pierced in Zechariah. People from all nations will look upon Jesus, pierced for our sins, and they will “wail on account of him” and repent.

There is also a deeper Eucharistic meaning to this passage. Just as the Son of Man comes in the cloud, Christ comes to the Church in every Eucharist. Since the Old Testament often depicts the Holy Spirit in terms of the cloud of presence (Exodus 40:34-38; Sirach 24), Jesus’ “coming in the clouds” can also be understood as his coming “in the Spirit.” Moreover, the Greek word for “coming,” Parousia, also means “presence.” Christ’s coming, therefore, is found in his real presence in the Eucharist, where he comes to us “in the unity of the Holy Spirit.”

8“I am the Alpha and the Omega”, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”

The description of Jesus as the One who “was and is and is to come” recalls the name God reveals to Moses, “YHWH”. YHWH can be translated either “I am who I am” or “I will be what I will be.” In his Gospel, John recounts how Jesus applied this name to himself (cf. John 8:58-59; 18:6). John is therefore again emphasizing that Jesus is God. He is not some lower “god,” but the one true God Almighty.

1.3 John’s Commissioning (1:9-11)

9I John, your brother, who share with you in Jesus the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

It is important to point out that John is sharing in the same persecution his readers are experiencing in Asia Minor. What persecution could this be? Since there is no evidence that Christians outside of Rome were persecuted by Nero, it is very unlikely that this implies coms sort of Imperial assault on Christianity. Instead, it is probable that the general population throughout the Roman empire, following the example of Caesar and the policy of their capital city, began to persecute Christians at the local level. Likewise, certain Jews, who looked to the Jerusalem leaders for guidance, would have begun to persecute Christians in the Gentile territories where they lived. This kind of “trickle-down” persecution is probably what affected the early Church in Asia Minor.

John’s mention that he shares in the “kingdom” is often overlooked. What is this “kingdom” that he shares with his readers? Let us look at this more closely.

What was the theme of Jesus’ ministry? There is one clear answer – the Kingdom. Jesus spoke more often about the “kingdom” than about anything else. It is so frequent in the Gospels that we might even overlook it. Consider the following examples:

· Picking up the theme of John the Baptist, Jesus begins his own ministry with the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).

· Matthew describes Jesus’ message as “the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23).

· Jesus declares, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3).

· The Lord’s Prayer teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come” (Matthew 6:10).

· Many of the parables begin, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared …”

· Jesus leaves Peter the “keys to the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 16:19).

The theme isn’t limited to the Gospels. The Book of Acts begins by explaining that Jesus spent forty days after the Resurrection “speaking about the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Then, throughout the Book of Acts the message of the kingdom is proclaimed. The book concludes with Paul in Rome, “preaching the kingdom of God” (Acts 28:31).

But what exactly is the kingdom of God? It’s the kingdom God swore to give to David. Indeed, the Old Testament calls the Davidic kingdom the “kingdom of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 13:8). This kingdom would be an everlasting kingdom (2 Samuel 7:13). Through this kingdom, God would fulfill all his Old Testament promises, extending his covenant blessings to all mankind. However, after Solomon died, the kingdom was split in half, and eventually crushed in 586 BC. The prophets announced that the kingdom would be restored by the Messiah, the Son of David.

Of course, all of this is fulfilled in the coming of Jesus, who announced, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Jesus did not come to abolish the Old Covenant but to fulfill it (Matthew 5:17). This kingdom is not an earthly political power – it’s God’s covenant family. It is present in the Church, under the successor of Peter, who is given the “keys” of the kingdom. Through the Church’s sacramental life, mankind is brought back into God’s family. Moreover, the kingdom is especially present at the Eucharistic celebration, since it is there that the King is truly present.

10I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus, and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”

We have already seen how the term “the Lord’s Day” calls to mind both the day of judgment (the Day of the Lord) as well as the Eucharist, which the early Church celebrated on Sunday, the day of the Lord’s Resurrection. The trumpet mentioned here brings both of these images together.

In the Old Testament, a trumpet is blown to warn the people that God’s judgment is coming: “The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast … a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities” (Zephaniah 1:14, 16). At the same time, the trumpet is a liturgical instrument. It was used in the temple by the priests as well as in sacred processions. Ezra 3:10 tells us how Ezra consecrated the second temple: “[T]he priests in their vestments came forward with trumpets, and the Levites, the sons of Asaph, with cymbals, to praise the Lord, according to the directions of David, king of Israel.” Later we will see how these two uses are connected with another occasion on which the trumpet was used – battle.

1.4 Jesus, the Son of Man (1:12-20)

12Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast;

At first it seems strange that John turns to “see” a “voice.” However, John may be alluding to an ancient version of Daniel 7:11, in which Daniel says: “[T]hen I beheld the voice.” After this Daniel sees “one like a son of man” (7:13). This is similar to John, who turns to see a voice and then beholds “one like a son of man.” As we shall see, Daniel 7 is one of the most important Old Testament passages for understanding Revelation. Images such as “the son of man,” “beasts,” and “kingdom,” used throughout the Apocalypse, are all found in this important Old Testament passage.

The seven golden lampstands are seven Menorahs – the seven branched candlestick. This lampstand stood in the Holy of Holies inside the Jerusalem temple. Thus, in seeing the seven golden lampstands John finds himself in the heavenly temple.

John’s vision of Christ in the midst of the seven lampstands is also echoes in the traditional arrangement of three candlesticks placed on either side of the crucifix on the high altar. Christ is the main candle – the light of the world – with three candles on either side.

The “Son of Man” is a tem frequently used for Jesus in the New Testament. But what exactly does it mean? Some scholars have tried to argue that “Son of Man” is simply a title of humility – Jesus’ way of saying, “I’m just a lowly son of man.” However, once we examine the background of this term, we find that it has a deeper meaning.

Jesus used the phrase “Son of Man” to describe himself more than any other term. Furthermore, only Jesus uses this special term to describe his identity. From this, we can see just how important it is to understand the term “Son of Man.”

Although the term is used throughout the Old Testament, it is Daniel 7 that is the all-important source text for Jesus’ use of it. For example, Daniel 7 links the “son of man” with a “coming in the clouds,” as Jesus frequently did (see Matthew 24:30; 26:64; Mark 13:26; 14:62). Moreover, the “son of man” in Daniel 7 is the one who brings the kingdom of God to the saints. This was another important theme of Jesus’ ministry, as he states in passages like Luke 4:43: “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.”

Daniel’s historical situation is also important. Daniel 7 tells of four beasts that are four kingdoms, which will persecute the Jews: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The people in Christ’s day recognized that they were living in the time of the fourth beast. Since Daniel prophesied that the “son of man” would come at the time of this beast, messianic hopes were at a fever pitch in Jesus’ day.

For Daniel, the “son of man” does not simply describe a human Messiah; this “son” is a supernatural figure. He looks “like” a man, but he is much more than that. The “son of man” receives from God (called “the Ancient of Days”) the kingdom, which will then be given to the saints. In Jesus’ day, this prophecy was well known, and its implications were clear: Rome would fall and the righteous would receive the kingdom.

The vestments of Christ are also noteworthy. The vestments seem to be a reference to Christ’s role as high priest. The long robe was worn by the high priest (Exodus 28:4; 29:5; Wisdom 18:24; Sirach 45:8) as well as the girdle (Exodus 28:4; 39:29; Leviticus 16:4). This concurs with the testimony of the ancient historian Josephus.

John’s vision of Christ, therefore, shows him to be the heavenly High Priest. His priestly role is also highlighted by the fact that he stands in the midst of the lampstands, since tending to the Menorah was the high priest’s duty. Indeed, Christ’s priestly role has already been implicitly mentioned in Revelation 1:5-6, where Christ is said to have freed us by his blood – a reference to his sacrifice, which makes us a “kingdom of priests.”

14his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, 15his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; 16in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

When John turns to see the source of the loud voice he has heard, what he sees literally takes his breath away: a divine figure who resembles a human being. The figure is described in extraordinary images that appear strange if they are pictured literally. However, if the meaning of each image is sought, they reveal a great deal about this heavenly being. Only through his words in verse 18 does his identity become absolutely clear: he is the risen Jesus in the midst of his Church.

The seven gold lampstands recall both the menorah – a single, seven-branched lampstand of pure gold with seven lamps that the priests kept burning every night (Exodus 25:31-40; 27:21) – and the ten gold lampstands in Solomon’s temple (1 Kings 7:49).

In the midst of the lampstands is one like a son of man. “The Son of Man” is the term by which Jesus often refers to himself in the Gospels. In Hebrew and Aramaic idiom, it simple means “human being,” in contrast to an angel or animal, and it has this sense in Ezekiel and the Psalms. But the exact phrase, “one like a son of man” occurs only once in the Old Testament:

As the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man. When he reached the Ancient of Days and was presented before him, he received dominion, splendor, and kingship; all nations, peoples, and tongues will serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14).

This mysterious text describes a humanlike figure ascending to God, “the Ancient of Days”, and being given everlasting, universal kingship, something that belongs by right only to God. When Jesus was questioned at his trial by Caiaphas, the high priest, he revealed himself as this Son of Man (Mark 14:61-62).

To return to John’s vision, the person speaking to John is wearing an ankle-length robe. In the Septuagint, this word refers almost exclusively to the garment of the high priest. Although Revelation generally focuses more on Christ’s kingship than on his priesthood, the priestly dimension is not absent (this dimension of Jesus’ role is explored in Hebrews).

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,

This verse mirrors Daniel’s account.

Both Daniel and John fall down to the ground and are told not to fear. Indeed, in the Gospel of John, the Apostle is called the “beloved disciple” much life Daniel is called “man greatly beloved.”

John’s title, “the First and the Last,” hints at His divinity. The Lord God calls himself by this title in Isaiah (Isaiah 41:4; 44:6; 48:12). The use of the phrase, “I AM” is also one that seems to denote divinity, as we noted earlier. The seven “I Am” sayings are also one of the characteristic themes of John’s Gospel.

Revelation seems to be framed by such sayings, which occur at the beginning and end of the book.

1. “I am the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8)

2. “I am the First and the Last” (Revelation 1:17)

3. I am the one who searches mind and heart” (Revelation 2:23).

4. I am the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 21:6).

5. I am the root and offspring of David, the bright morning star” (Revelation 22:16).

18and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. 19Now write what you see, what is and what is to take place hereafter.

Here is another instance where Jesus’ divinity is subtly implied.

20As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

Daniel is the only Old Testament book where the theme of the “mystery” is found (Daniel 2:18-19, 27, 30, 47; 4:9). Again, in this verse, we see the dominance of references to Daniel in the Apocalypse. Also, as in the Book of Daniel, the messenger who appears to John explains the meaning of the symbols in the vision.

It is apparent from this verse that Revelation must not be interpreted too literally. John tells us in Revelation 1:17 that Jesus touches him with his right hand; however, in Revelation 1:20, Jesus is holding the seven stars in his hands. The symbols are thereby meant to convey a spiritual meaning and should not be interpreted in an overly literal fashion.

Commentators often debate about the meaning of the “angels” of the seven churches. Since the seven letters in chapters 2 and 3 are written to these angels, some have argued that the “angels” are really bishops. It should be noted, however, that everywhere else this word is used in the Apocalypse, it denotes “angels.” John gives no indication that this word means something different here.

Nonetheless, the association of the angels with the churches is striking, and implies that the Church is not merely an earthly reality. As mentioned above, a Jewish tradition, which linked Zechariah 4 to Daniel 12, saw the lampstands as representing the righteous. Taken together, the lampstands and the angels may serve as reminders that the Church is both an earthly and heavenly reality. When John is taken up in the Spirit on that remarkable Sunday, he learns that “one of the purposes of the church meeting on earth in its weekly gatherings (e.g., 1:2, 9) is to be reminded of its heavenly existence and identity by modeling its worship and liturgy on the angels’ and heavenly church’s worship.

2. Words from Jesus to the Churches (2:1-3:22)

Revelation chapters Two and Three contain letters to the seven churches: (1) Ephesus, (2) Smyrna, (3) Pergamum, (4) Thyatira, (5) Sardis, (6) Philadelphia, and (7) Laodicea. What is important here is the number “seven.” As stated earlier, we must see these letters in terms of real churches, who struggled with their own particular problems. However, since “seven” is a number indicating “wholeness,” the letters should also be understood as being written to the “whole church.” Geographically, the seven churches form a kind of circle. A person easily could walk from one to the next.

Many of the promises made by Christ to the Churches in these letters are fulfilled at the end of Revelation. John shows that Jesus is faithful to his words.

[1] A share in the fruit of the tree of life (2:7; 22:2)

[2] the New Jerusalem, which comes down from heaven(3:12; 21:2, 10)

[3] dwelling in the temple of the New Jerusalem (3:13; 21:22)

[4] God’s name is written on the saints (3:12; 22:4)

[5] Being written in the Book of Life (3:5; 21:27)

[6] The morning star (2:28; 22:16)

[7] a share in Christ’s kingship (2:26-27; 3:21; 22:5)

[8] deliverance from the second death (2:11; 21:7-8).

But how do these letters fit into the main theme of the book? The answer is more pastoral than theological. If you were a Gentile Christian living outside of Jerusalem, the prediction of the fall of Jerusalem may have led you to pride. Jesus wants to make something very clear: if God won’t space his beloved city of Jerusalem, no one is above God’s judgment.

2.1 The Letter to Ephesus (2:1-7)

1To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear evil men but have tested those who call themselves apostles but are not, and found them to be false; 3I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. 4But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. 6Yet this you have, you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 7He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Ephesus was the largest city of its province, probably because it was the best port of entry in the region. It was well known as a religious city, having numerous temples. The most prominent of these temples was the one to Artemis. It was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. In fact, Ephesus was nicknamed “the temple warden.” Occult mysticism seed to flourish there (see Acts 19:13-15, 18-19).

The Church at Ephesus was also prominent in the days of the Apostles. Saint Paul spent more time there – three years (Acts 20:31) – than anywhere else. Saint John lived and was buried there. Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was another member of this church. Other members included the great early Christian apologist, Apollos (see 1 Corinthians 1:12), three daughters of the Apostle Philip, and Paul’s disciple Timothy.

Some have pointed out that the “toil and patient endurance” of the Ephesians might be linked to their ongoing struggle to maintain their harbor. River sediment would often fill in the port with silt. This was a major threat to the port, and thus a threat to the very heart of the life and economy of Ephesus. Ephesus and the Ephesians were truly in danger of being “moved out of its place,” as Christ warns in Revelation 2:5. In fact, over the years the silting has continued without any dredging, and as a result, the city is six miles away from the sea today.

God takes natural virtues – natural talents, if you will – and helps us use them for his glory. The Ephesians, applying their hard work ethic to understanding theology, become extremely knowledgeable about their faith. No wonder Paul stayed so long teaching them, taking them deeper than any other church into his rich knowledge of Scripture. They were good students. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians contains some of the most profound theology found in any of his epistles. Why? Because these Christians were his best students.

The Ephesians – heeding Paul’s warning to them, “Let no one deceive you with empty words” (Ephesians 5:6) – prided themselves in their knowledge of the faith and their rejection of unorthodox teaching. Christ himself commends them for rejecting the teaching of the Nicolaitans. The Nicolaitans were followers of the heretic Nicolas, who had been one of the deacons chosen by the apostles in the Book of Acts (Acts 6:5). It is interesting that Christ tells the Ephesians that they must “overcome” (conquer) these heretics, since their name derives from the word “overcome” or “victory” nikao.

The call to “eat the fruit of the tree of life” was understood by the Fathers as a reference to the Eucharist. The Syrian Father Aphrahat writes: “So the fruit of the tree of life is given as food to the faithful and to virgins, and to those that do the will of God has the door been opened and the way made plain. And the fountain flows and gives drink to the thirsty. The table is laid and the supper prepared. The fatted ox is slain and the cup of redemption mixed. The feast is prepared and the Bridegroom at hand, soon to take his place.”

2.2 The Letter to Smyrna (2:8-11)

8And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: “The words of the first and the last, who died and came to life. 9I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich) and the slander of those who say that they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. 10Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life. 11He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who conquers shall not be hurt by the second death.”

There were some very anti-Christian Jews in Smyrna who became enraged that so many people in the city were converting to Christianity. These Jews persuaded the people of the city to persecute Christians. This is what Jesus is referring to when he speaks of “the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.” The point is simple: anyone who persecutes the Church is not a “true Jew.”

The reference to “ten days” is taken from a book already alluded to, Daniel. There we read how Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are tested for “ten days” (Daniel 1:12). Their captors marvel at their faithfulness and at the way God blesses them, and therefore allow them to continue to practice their faith.

Christ applies this lesson to Christian suffering, Christians are warned that persecution is coming, but comforted in knowing that the period of suffering is short compared to the eternal reward awaiting them on the other side of it. In the end, those who persevere will receive something much greater than earthly comfort – the crown of life.

2.3 The Letter to Pergamum (2:12-17)

12And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: “The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. 13”I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells. 14But I have a few things against you: you have some there who hold the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, that they might eat food sacrificed to idols and practice immorality. 15So you also have some who hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans. 16Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. 17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who conquers I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, with a new name written on the stone which no one knows except him who receives it.”

The ancient Roman writer, Pliny, said that Pergamum was “the most famous place of Asia.” Like the other seven cities mentioned in Revelation chapters 2-3, Pergamum was a place where the Roman religion thrived. In fact, it was a historical center, since it was there that the first temple was erected for Emperor worship. Here the Emperor Augustus was worshipped as a god. Refusal to worship Caesar was a crime of “high treason.” The early martyr Antipas may have been killed because, as a Christian, he could not obey this law.

Other pagan temples were located in Pergamum as well. For example, the city had a famous temple dedicated to Zeus. Christ’s description of the city as the place where “Satan’s throne is,” and where “Satan dwells,” may be related to the fact that so many gods were worshipped there.

Christ’s declaration that “Satan dwells” in this city may also be illuminated by another interesting fact about Pergamum. The city was the center for the worship of a snake-god, called Asclepius. In fact, the serpent became a symbol for the city itself. Is it any wonder Christ saw something satanic about this city?

The Nicolaitans are also mentioned in the letter to the church at Ephesus. They are compared to those who follow Balaam and Balak, who enticed the Israelites to sexual sins in the Book of Numbers (Numbers 31:15-16; 25:1-5). This is probably because the Nicolaitans ignored the teaching of the Council of Jerusalem, which prohibited the eating of foods offered to idols and sexual immorality, which was part and parcel of pagan temple services (Acts 15:19-20, 29).

The name “Nicolaitans” is also similar to “Balaam,” in that both mean “Conqueror [or Destroyer] of the people.” This passage also alludes to Balaam’s fate. Those who fail to heed Christ’s words will be destroyed with the “sword of his mouth,” as Balaam himself was killed by the sword (Numbers 31:8).

Jesus is warning the Christians of Pergamum, then, not to be like the generation of Israelites who fell into sin just before they entered into the Promised Land. These Christians are at the threshold of the “new heavens and the new earth,” which John is about to see come down from heaven. Christ is urging them to hold fast to their faith in order to “conquer,” so that, unlike the Israelites, they may enter the true Promised Land without falling into sin.

The “hidden manna” is most likely a reference to the Eucharist. In the fourth Gospel, John records the famous “Bread of Life” discourse, in which Jesus says he is the true manna: “I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh” (John 6:48-51). The “manna” was a symbol in the New Testament and in the writings of the early Fathers of the Eucharist. In fact, Eucharistic imagery permeates many of the seven letters. For example, in Revelation 3:20, Christ says “[I]f anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” The “hidden” manna is Christ, therefore, who is hidden in the Real Presence of the Eucharist.

The “white stone” can be linked with the bdellium,” a stone connected to the appearance of the manna in the Old Testament (Numbers 11:7; Exodus 16:31). In fact, a tradition in rabbinic literature stated that these stones fell from heaven with the manna. The “bdellium” was also found in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:12). The manna, therefore, represented Israel’s calling to reverse the disobedience of Adam. Furthermore, the reference to it here, like the reference to the tree of life, may point to the new creation that Christ inaugurates at the end of Revelation.

The writing on the “white stone” may be an allusion to the stones worn by the high priest, which had the names of Israel written on them (Exodus 28:9-12). As for the reference to a “new name,” John borrows his imagery from Isaiah 62:2, which speaks of the restoration of Israel in terms of the New Exodus: “And you will be called by a new name.” Jesus is the New Moses. Through him, God’s people will be restored.

2.4 The Letter to Thyatira (2:18-29)

18And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: “The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze. 19I know your works, your love and faith and service and patient endurance, and that your latter works exceed the first. 20But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols. 21I gave her time to repent, but she refuses to repent of her immorality. 22Behold, I will throw her on a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her I will throw into great tribulation, unless they repent of her doings; 23and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”

Thyatira was one of the leading centers for trade in Asia Minor. Because of this it had an extraordinary number of trade guilds. Each guild had a god whom all the members were required to worship. This worship often included immoral sexual conduct and the eating of food offered to idols – practices condemned by the apostles at the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15:19, 29). This situation posed a difficult dilemma for converts, who supported their families by working for these guilds.

Jesus recognizes that the church at Thyatira is continuing to grow and to do “better” works. However, apparently, someone in the community there was leading Christians into the sins of immorality and the eating of unclean food, quite possibly in the worship of the guild gods mentioned above. This person is compared to “Jezebel,” the wife of Ahab, the king of Israel (1 Kings 21). There’s a play on words here in Jesus’ warning to these Christians. As one interpreter explains: “With grim humor, Jesus is saying, Do you want to ‘get in bed’ (i.e., commit fornication)? Very well – here’s a death bed for you!”

Jesus’ self-description as the “one who searches the mind and heart” and who will “give to each of you as your works deserve” evokes what the Lord says in Jeremiah: “I the Lord search the mind and try the heart, to give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings” (Jeremiah 17:10). Once again John implicitly underscores the fact that Jesus is the Lord. Jesus knows our inner self and sees through all of our “good deeds,” knowing the state of our heart.

24But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay upon you any other burden;

Ancient pagan religions claimed to be able to teach their members “profound truths” or “secret knowledge” often referred to as “mysteries.” It is probably in reference to this that Jesus speaks of some in Thyatira as receiving knowledge of the “deep things of Satan.” Christians at Thyatira are warned not to join cults like Mithraism, which was associated with Roman soldiers and involved seven levels of secret initiation.

25only hold fast what you have, until I come. 26He who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, I will give him power over the nations, 27and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received power from my Father.

Jesus tells believers that those who continue in his “works” will be allowed to share in his rule. The reference to the “iron rod” and “earthen pots” is no doubt an allusion to Psalm 2, which was typically understood as a prophecy concerning the Messiah. There the Davidic king conquers the rulers of the earth who have broken their covenant relationship with the king and tried to defeat him. Jesus is thus comforting those who are struggling with fellow Christians who have fallen, and encouraging them not to reject him.

28and I will give him the morning star. 29He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Christ’s promise to give the faithful “the morning star” might be a reference to life in the new creation, which is about to dawn. Later, John learns that Christ is the morning star (Revelation 22:16). Those who endure, then, are promised that they will enter into Christ’s presence forever in heaven. Of course, the Eucharist is a foretaste of this, where Christians are given a share in the morning star.

The “morning star” might also refer to Numbers 24:17, where Balaam delivers to Balak a prophecy concerning the Messiah: “[A] star shall come forth out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel.” Given the fact that Balaam has been mentioned already, it would not be surprising to find a reference here to a prophecy he had delivered.

The reference to “he who has an ear, let him hear” recalls the prophet’s warnings to Israel to repent in the face of coming judgment. Isaiah was told to go to Jerusalem, ripe and ready for judgment, and say, “Hear and hear, but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive” (Isaiah 6:9). Likewise, Jesus uses this expression after the Jewish leaders reject him in Matthew 12, when he preaches in parables to them, saying, “He who has ears, let him hear” (Matthew 13:9). The implication in the Book of Revelation is, unless Christians in Thyatira repent, they will be judged.

2.5 The Letter to Sardis (3:1-6)

1And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: “The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. “I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead. 2Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God. 3Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you. 4Yet you still have a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. 5He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 6He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Sardis was an extremely wealthy city. The city was known throughout the ancient world as the place to shop for luxury goods. Carpets from Sardis were used in palaces as far away as Persia. Likewise, Sardis’ perfumes were world renown.

The Church in Sardis apparently had a good reputation: “you have the name of being alive.” However, the goodness of the church is only skin deep, for Jesus adds, “and you are dead.” Jesus tells the church to “awake.” He commands them to repent of sinfulness so they can live in him.

Those who have not fallen away from Christ are referred to as the ones who “have not soiled their garments.” Revelation 19:8 tells us that the bright white linen garments are “the righteous deeds of the saints.” Clean garments, therefore, imply continued Christian faithfulness. The early Christians adopted the use of white garments as a symbol for holiness by giving the newly baptized “white garments.” This is still practiced in some churches today.

2.6 The Letter to Philadelphia (3:7-13)

7And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: “The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens. 8I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. 9Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you. 10Because you have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth. 11I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown. 12He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name. 13He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

Philadelphia suffered a devastating earthquake in AD 17. Several smaller ones rocked the city afterwards. It was rebuilt thanks to imperial funds.

Jesus offers words of comfort and stability to the citizens of this city that was constantly shaken by earthquakes. The imagery of a “pillar” and a lasting temple assures these Christians a home in a city that will never need Imperial funds to rebuild – the city of the New Jerusalem.

Like Smyrna, a large number of anti-Christian Jews lived in Philadelphia who incited a persecution of the Christians. This is most likely the background for the reference in 3:9 to the “synagogue of Satan” (see Revelation 2:9). True Judaism doesn’t persecute Christianity.

Jesus is pictured as the one who holds the “key of David,” which is earlier referred to as “the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18). This “key of David” is mentioned in Isaiah 22:22, where Eliakim replaces Shebna as the prime minister of the Davidic kingdom. There the “key” of the kingdom is a symbol of the authority of the Davidic king given to the prime minister, who acts with the authority of the king: “[H]e shall open, and none shall shut; he shall shut, and none shall open” (Isaiah 22:22). Jesus makes further reference to this in referring to himself as the one “who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.” Jesus holds the key because he is the Davidic king.

Moreover, Jesus, as the Davidic king, gives this authority to Peter, making him the “prime minister” of his kingdom. “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19). Peter, therefore, acts with the authority of Jesus, who is the true holder of the keys (Revelation 3:7). Furthermore, since the keys were meant to be passed on, as they are in Isaiah, Jesus intends Peter’s authority to be transferred to a successor. This authority has been handed on down through the centuries to Peter’s successors, the popes.

This was the understanding of the early Fathers. Linus (68-79) succeeded Peter; Cletus (80-92) succeeded Linus; Clement (92-99) succeeded Cletus. Tertullian stated that “Clement was ordained by Peter.” Irenaeus traces the authority of the bishop of Rome of his time:

To this Clement there succeeded Evaristus. Alexander followed Evaristus; then, sixth from the apostles, Sixtus was appointed; after him, Telephorus, who was gloriously martyred; then Hyginus; after him, Pius; then after him, Anicetus. Sorer having succeeded Anicetus, Eleutherius does now, in the twelfth place from the Apostles, hold the inheritance of the episcopate. In this order, and by this succession, the ecclesiastical tradition from the apostles, and the preaching of the truth, have come down to us. And this is the most abundant proof that there is one and the same vivifying faith, which has been preserved in the Church from the apostles until now, and handed down in truth.

2.7 The Letter to Laodicea (3:14-22)

14And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: “The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation. 15I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot! 16So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. 17For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. 18Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. 19Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.

Laodicea was located between Hierapolis and Colossae. Colossae was situated at the foot of the mountains and received cold, refreshing drinking water. Hierapolis, on the other hand, was the source of hot, mineral pools, which were used for healing baths. The water in Laodicea was neither hot nor cold. Christ apparently uses this geographical data as an illustration of the spiritual state of the Church in Laodicea: “[B]ecause you are lukewarm, neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth” (3:16).

Like Philadelphia, Laodicea had been hit by an earthquake in the first century. However, unlike the Philadelphians, they were so rich they refused imperial help and rebuilt on their own. This would explain why Christ warns the Church against boasting, “I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing.” The Lord knows that, despite their earthly wealth, they are spiritually bankrupt: “[Y]ou are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.”

Jesus’ three-fold prescription, (1) “gold refined by fire,” (2) “white garments,” and (3) “salve to anoint your eyes,” roughly corresponds to the needs of the Laodicean church that must be met. “Gold refined by fire” is given to them for their “wretched, pitiable and poor” state. “White garments” are provided to clothe their “nakedness.” Finally, eye “salve” is meant to cure their “blindness.” These cures must be bought from Jesus. In other words, the Laodiceans must admit that they can’t buy these kinds of cures on their own – they need Jesus.

The first cure is the most costly. “Gold refined with fire” is a symbol for purification through suffering (see Job 23:10; Malachi 3:2-3; Zechariah 13:9; 1 Peter 1:6-9). But does Jesus actually expect these Christians to desire a test of suffering? Yes, for only through trials will they learn how to love Christ unselfishly. Only in this will they learn life-giving love. Persecution, therefore, isn’t necessarily a sign of God’s rejection of his people, but rather a sign of his love for them. As Jesus states a little later, “Those whom I love; I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent” (Revelation 3:19).

The second prescription, “white garments” to cover their “nakedness,” is an image rooted in the Old Testament. The “uncovering of nakedness” is often used in connection with sexual sins, especially those committing as part of idol worship. Perhaps there is a veiled reference here to some kind of sexual immorality committed as part of pagan religious rituals. In any event, the “white garments” that the Laodiceans are to receive from the Lord are “the righteous deeds of the saints” (Revelation 19:8).

The charge of blindness is used in John’s Gospel to describe those who refuse to acknowledge guilt and repent (John 9:39-41). The third prescription, which is meant to cure this, is the “salve.” Eye salve was something the Laodiceans were well acquainted with. In fact, there was a famous Laodicean medical school that was known for its use of eye salve, derived from a Phyrgian powder. However, the eye salve used by Laodicean doctors is inadequate to cure spiritual blindness, so “salve” must be bought from Jesus, the true Physician. This rich and proud community must acknowledge its weakness in humility and repent.

20Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. 21He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

The words of Christ concerning dining with the faithful is undoubtedly a Eucharistic reference. A non-Catholic David Chilton, makes the following comment on this passage: “We must take seriously the Biblical doctrine of the Real Presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. We must return to the Biblical pattern of worship centered on Jesus Christ, which means the weekly celebration of the Lord’s Supper as well as instruction about its true meaning. … In Holy Communion we are genuinely having dinner with Jesus, lifted up into his heavenly presence; and, moreover, we are feasting on him.” Again, we see that the Eucharist is the context in which the Book of Revelation must be understood.

This appears to settle an ancient debate in Rabbinic Judaism as to how many thrones there are in heaven. Some said there was one, others said the Messiah would sit on a separate one. Here John shows us that there is only one. This is because the Messiah is God himself.

2.8 Recapitulation of Covenant History

The seven ages of the Old Testament are drawn from in describing these seven churches.

3. The Heavenly Liturgy (4:1-5:14)

1After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.”

With the words, “Come up hither”, John is taken up into heaven. The voice tells John that he is about to see “what must take place after this”. John has now moved from seeing “what is” – that is, the situation of the seven churches – to “what will take place hereafter” – the future events that will lead up to the fall of the harlot city (Rev 1:19). John is about to see how Daniel’s prophecy concerning the Son of Man is fulfilled in Christ. There are, in fact, striking parallels between Daniel 7 and Revelation 4-5.

In all of this, John portrays Christ as the One who, in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, receives the kingdom and gives it to the saints. As we will see, John shows how all of this occurs in the liturgy.

In addition to Daniel, John’s experience is foreshadowed by the visions of other prophets. Isaiah and Ezekiel were also given a vision of God’s throne room in heaven (Isaiah 6; Ezekiel 1-2). Isaiah and Ezekiel both saw God’s glory when they were commissioned to prophesy about the coming destruction of the Jerusalem temple (586 B.C.). God allowed these prophets to see his glory in heaven so that they would know that the temple on earth was only penultimate. The true temple is in the heavenly city above. John’s vision is meant to reveal this to us.

In fact, the Book of Revelation closely follows the pattern in the Book of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel, like John, had foreseen the fall of Jerusalem and the establishment of the “new” Jerusalem. It makes sense, then, that John would draw on the Book of Ezekiel so heavily, since John also prophesies concerning the destruction of the temple and the coming of the heavenly city.

3.1 The Liturgy of Creation (4:2-11)

Chapters Four and Five reveal to us the heavenly liturgy: Chapter Four reveals the beautiful and majestic Creator of the universe, seated on a throne and receiving the worship of his heavenly court; Chapter Five reveals the slaughtered Lamb through whom God’s plan of salvation will be made known and accomplished.

2At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! 3And he who sat there appear like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald.

John sees God’s throne similarly to how Ezekiel had seen it in his day (Ezekiel 1:26-28). The stones of “jasper” and “carnelian,” which John sees, are also significant. First of all, they were found in the Garden of Eden, the original earthly sanctuary (Ezekiel 28:13). Furthermore, the Greek Old Testament tells us that these stones were worn by the high priest, when he ministered in Israel’s sanctuary (Ezekiel 28:17-20). The rainbow, seen by both John and Ezekiel (1:28), signifies “new creation” imagery in its connection with the Flood of Noah (Genesis 9:13).

4Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. 5From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God;

Presbyteroi, the Greek word for “elder,” is the word from which we get the English word “priest.” The number “twenty-four,” evokes 1 Chronicles 24-25, where David set up twenty-four divisions of priests to serve and sing in the temple. This is exactly what John’s twenty-four elders do – sing and worship God.

These elders are also described in royal terms, since they sit on “thrones” and wear “golden crowns.” Who are these elders? It is very unlikely that they are angels, since the term “elder” is usually used in the Old Testament in reference to humans. It would seem that these elders represent the faithful, whom Christ has made “a kingdom, priests to his God” (Revelation 1:6).

The image of “flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder” calls to mind God’s presence on Mount Sinai (see Exodus 19:16). At Sinai we can also see a connection between the use of the term “elder” and the use of the term “priest.” There, after God has told Moses that he wants to make Israel a “kingdom of priests,” Moses calls together “the elders of the people” (Exodus 19:6, 7). Here we see many parallels with Revelation 4:5. John is seeing the fulfillment not only of Adam’s calling, but Israel’s as well.

This passage contains other references to the Old Testament as well. The description of “lightning” coming from God’s throne, which John sees in his vision, is also found in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezekiel 1:13).

John also draws here from Zechariah 4, describing the “seven spirits” in terms of “seven torches.” We have already seen that the phrase “seven spirits” refers to the Holy Spirit. There also seems to be a connection between the seven torches and the seven lampstands. We know from chapter 1 that the seven lampstands are a symbol of the seven churches (see Revelation 1:20). It would seem that the seven torches rest on the seven lampstands – in other words, the Spirit dwells in the Church. The Apocalypse paints this picture to show us that the Spirit is present in and through the Church.

6and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.

The image of the sea of glass before the throne of God was prefigured in Solomon’s temple by a bronze laver before the Holy of Holies (see Exodus 30:17-21; 1 Kings 7:23-26). Ancient Jews understood that their temple was only a copy of a heavenly one (see Wisdom 9:8). When Moses built the tent, the proto-type for the temple, he did so according to a heavenly vision he saw on Sinai (see Exodus 25:9). This view was taken up later by the author of Hebrews, who states: “For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24).

6And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle.

The four living creatures in Revelation were also seen by Ezekiel, although somewhat differently (Ezekiel 1:5-14). These living creatures, Ezekiel tells us, are angels, “cherubim,” upon whom God “rides” (Ezekiel 10:14-22). The earthly temple had a “copy” of this in the images of the two cherubim who were on top of the ark. Just as God’s glory rested on the four living creatures, so too God’s presence appeared over the cherubim on the ark in the temple, supplying the image of God riding on the cherubim.

Some have pointed out that the imagery of the four living creatures comes from the Zodiac. For the ancients, the Zodiac symbolized all the stars in the heavens. The Zodiac divided the heavens into four parts. The signs in the middle of these four parts are the Lion (Leo), the Man (Aquarius, the Waterer), the Bull (Taurus), and the Eagle (instead of Scorpio, associated with evil). Scholars, therefore, believe that the four living creatures symbolize all of creation worshipping God.

Moreover, the twelve tribes of Israel seemed to be associated with the twelve signs of the Zodiac. In the wilderness, the twelve tribes of Israel were stationed around the sanctuary, with Judah, Reuben, Ephraim, and Dan leading Israel on each of the Tabernacle’s four sides. These four tribes were associated with the Zodiac signs: Judah as the Lion, Reuben as the Man, Ephraim as the Bull, and Dan as the Eagle. In their worship, therefore, Israel followed the pattern in heaven. Yet, whereas ancient Israel copied the worship of heaven, the Church actually participates in the heavenly liturgy.

8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never ceases to sing, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” 9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne singing, 10“Worthy art thou, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for thou didst create all things, and by they will they existed and were created.”

John sees the four living creatures (cherubim) “covered with eyes.” The imagery is used to show us that they are all-knowing. They work as God’s agents, seeing all things and reporting them to Him. Their description calls to mind the “seraphim” seen by Isaiah, who also have “six wings” (Isaiah 6:2). Like the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision, the cherubim sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Isaiah 6:3).

The twenty-four elders, that is, the saints, take their cue from the cherubim, for they fall down and worship whenever the angels do. Through all eternity, they continue to offer God their lives in love, which is symbolized in the way they “cast their crowns before the throne.” Furthermore, the saints on earth participate in this liturgy. This is seen in 5:1, which tells us that the angels and twenty-four elders offer incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. At Mass, then, the Church enters into this heavenly liturgy, as she sings with the angels and saints, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”

11”Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

The prayers offered in heaven to God harken back to David’s prayer in 1 Chronicles 29:10: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our Father, for ever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours; yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all.” This prayer also seems to evoke the Greek version of Daniel 3.

3.2 The Liturgy of Redemption (5:1-14)

1And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals? 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it.

This scroll seems to be a covenant document. It is sealed with “seven” seals, the number associated with covenant making. A covenant demands the giving of self and involves the forging of a bond that is so strong that it forms family ties, making sons and daughters, husbands and wives. In this we see that what God does reflects who God is. “God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude, but a family, since he has within himself fatherhood and sonship, and the essence of the family which is love [the Spirit]”. God is the primordial Family, of which all families are simply an image. God’s work through the covenants of salvation history reflects who he is, bringing us into the life of the divine family. Since God is Family, he seeks to make us family.

Adam and Eve were originally created to be in a covenant relationship with God – to enter into the divine family life of the Trinity – but they fell. Salvation history is the story of God seeking to bring all mankind back into that covenant family. The reversal of Adam and Eve’s sin starts with Abraham, through whom God will “bless” all nations (see Genesis 22:18). God will work through Abraham’s descendants, the people of Israel, to extend his covenant to all humankind. The Davidic covenant is an earthly blueprint of how God planned to fulfill his promises of old, as the nations come to know YHWH through the Son of David.

Christ brings all the covenants to fulfillment in himself as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – the conquering Davidic Messiah (see Revelation 5:5). The book that is sealed here in Revelation 5 represents God’s covenant promises, from Adam to the time of Christ, which no man was worthy to fulfill. Because Christ restores God’s covenant relationship to all men, he is able to break open the seals.

5Then one of the elders said to me, “Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” 6And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth;

Jesus’ ability to “open the scroll,” that is, to fulfill God’s covenant promises, depends on his Davidic lineage, which is implied by the phrase, “the lion from the tribe of Judah, the root of Jesse.” David was from the tribe of Judah, and Jesses was his father. The covenants in Old Testament reach their climax in God’s covenant promise to David to establish an everlasting kingdom through his son (2 Samuel 7:8-16). The Davidic covenant restores: 1) Man’s original calling to divine sonship (Luke 3:38; 2 Samuel 7:14); 2) Adam’s vocation to be a priest-king (Genesis 2:15); 3) God’s promise to Abraham to extend covenant blessings to all people through his descendants (Genesis 22:18; Psalm 72:17); 4) Israel’s calling to be God’s firstborn priestly nation (Exodus 4:22, 19:6; Psalm 89:27, 110:4).

As Jesus fulfills the Davidic covenant, he fulfills all God’s promises in the Old Testament. One cannot, therefore, overlook the importance of the Davidic covenant for Jesus’ mission.

John expects to see the mighty conqueror, the Lion of the tribe of Judah – instead, he finds a “slain lamb.” The image is almost absurd. The very last animal we would probably associate with “triumph” is what we find – a little lamb. Even more, this lamb has been slain. It’s obviously a miracle that this Lamb is even “standing” at all. Indeed, it is a miracle, and we call it the Resurrection. Jesus turns our idea of victory upside down. He conquers by suffering. He offers his life, and triumphs, giving an example to us, who must learn, “Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life” (Revelation 2:10). In fact, Isaiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would make himself “an offering for sin” as “a lamb that is led to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:10, 7).

It’s important to notice that even in heaven – after the Resurrection – Jesus still appears “as though slain.” He still bears the wounds in his body, just as he showed the apostles the nail marks on Easter Sunday. Standing before the throne of God as the Lamb who had been slain, he continues to re-present his offering to the Father for all time. He died “once and for all,” but continues to present himself as Priest and Victim in heaven.

Yet, don’t let the lamb’s humility fool you. The seven horns of the Lamb symbolize that he is almighty, since “horns” were a symbol in the Old Testament for “power” (Deuteronomy 33:17; 1 Kings 22:11; Psalm 89:17; Daniel 7:7-8, 24). Likewise, his “seven eyes” indicate that he sees all, as one who is all knowing. It may also be possible to connect this imagery to Daniel 7, where the fourth beast is described with horns and eyes. Christ, therefore, shows that he is the one who truly has authority and power.

7and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.

How exactly would a lamb take a scroll from the hand of God? Hoofs, which lack opposable thumbs, aren’t usually good for holding things. Here we seen, once again, that we can’t interpret the Book of Revelation in an overly literal fashion. The deeper meaning of the symbols are what are important here, such as the image of Christ as the Lamb – a sacrificial offering. Revelation must be interpreted as it was meant to be. It must be understood in terms of the symbols taken from the Old Testament.

8And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; 9and they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth. 11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads and myriads and thousands and thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! 13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!”

The heavenly congregation signs a “new song.” The phrase “new song” may be associated with the hope for the New Exodus, in which Israel would be returned from the exile by the Messiah, who would restore the kingdom of David. In the first Exodus, Moses sang a song as Israel passed onto the other side of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:1-18). In the Book of Psalms, Moses reappears at the beginning of Psalms 90-100, which speak of the New Exodus and the singing of a “new song” (Psalm 96:1; 98:1). Here in Revelation, the elders stand next to the “sea” (Revelation 4:6) and sing the “new song” of the New Exodus.

The Lamb who takes the scroll from the right hand of God, has many echoes of Daniel’s vision of the “son of man” receiving the kingdom from the “Ancient of Days.” Like the authority given to the “son of man” in Daniel, the kingdom over which the Lamb rules includes “all peoples, nations, and languages” (Daniel 7:14; see Revelation 5:9). Similarly, like the Lamb, Daniel’s “son of man” receives “glory” (Daniel 7:13, 14; Revelation 5:12), and in the Greek version “honor” (Daniel 7:14, LXX; Revelation 5:12).

Jesus fulfills this vision of the son of man through the liturgy. The twenty-four elders hold “harps,” as the Levites did in the earthly temple (see 1 Chronicles 25:6-31). Likewise, they offer up the prayers of the saints as “incense.” Thus, it is in the liturgy of the Eucharist that Christ bestows the kingdom to the Church. This is why, at the first Mass, the Last Supper, Jesus told the apostles: “[A]s my Father appointed a kingdom for me, so do I appoint for you that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke 22:29-30). In the liturgical prayers of the Mass, therefore, we sing the “new song,” as the kingdom comes with the king.

14And the four living creatures said, “Amen!” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The twenty-four elders follow the lead of the cherubim (the four living creatures). The angels teach the saints to worship God in heaven. When the cherubim say, “Amen,” the elders fall down.

4. The Seven Seals (6:1-8:1)

In Revelation 6, we learn that what happens in the liturgy of heaven has earth-shaking consequences. Throughout the book, the events on earth are affected and even effected by the actions of Jesus with the angels and saints in the heavenly liturgy. Therefore, as Jesus opens the seven scrolls, things begin to unravel on earth.

The four horsemen, also mentioned in Zechariah 6:1-8, should probably be identified as four angels (see Rev 6:1). The havoc they wreak seems to summarize the curses that Moses warned Israel would be triggered if they broke the covenant and were unfaithful to the Lord God (Leviticus 26:18-28; Deut 28:15-68). Just as Jesus warned, by rejecting him, all the covenant curses came upon his generation when Jerusalem was destroyed:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ Thurs you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. … Therefore I send prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town, that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:29-36).

The horsemen, therefore, bring about God’s covenant judgment on Jerusalem, which occurred in the destruction of the temple. It should be no surprise, then, that the judgments brought about by the opening of the first six seals correspond strikingly to Jesus’ description of the fall of Jerusalem in the Gospels. This can be seen by the chart below:

Although there are a few differences, given the enormous amount of similarity, it is impossible to think that it is the result of coincidence. In fact, the only Gospel without an apocalyptic discourse is John’s – perhaps because he had already covered that ground in Revelation.

The prophecy of the four horsemen may have actually found a fulfillment in a vision seen by many right before the destruction of Jerusalem. Josephus records signs that occurred in the city, which seemed to signal the coming of the end: “[A] certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds.” After narrating this, Josephus goes on to tell about a prophet who warned of “a voice from the four winds,” which corresponds to what John sees at the beginning of the next chapter (Revelation 7:1).

4.1 First Seal: The First Horseman (6:1-2)

1Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, “Come!” 2And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

It may be possible to see the first rider as Jesus himself. Jesus comes riding on a white horse in Revelation 19:11. He is so said to “conquer,” as this horseman does (cf. 3:21; 5:5; 17:14). Yet there are problems with this interpretation, since this horseman appears to share the same nature as the other horsemen (11:7; 13:7) There is nothing especially remarkable about him. He is simply one of the four. Therefore, this should probably be understood in terms of a “false Messiah,” who comes before Christ and leads people astray.

4.2 Second Seal: The Second Horseman (6:3-4)

3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.

The second horse brings persecution and civil unrest. Given the parallels to the synoptic accounts, it may also denote international strife. Of course, this was exactly what occurred before the destruction of Jerusalem in the year 70. Josephus recounts how civil unrest abounded at this time in Palestine, as Romans, Jews, Syrians, and others broke out in violence against each other. Likewise, Roman historians report that civil unrest in Rome was so great, it was thought that Rome itself would collapse and be conquered.

4.3 Third Seal: The Third Horseman (6:5-6)

5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come!” And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; 6and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!”

The symbol of “a balance,” or scales, is used as a symbol for “famine,” since it is then that food needs to be carefully weighed and measured out, as the price of it skyrockets (see Ezekiel 4:10). “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius,” represents this kind of super-inflation. These prices translate to mean that a whole day’s work would only earn enough bread to last one man for one day. Man is just living day to day, barely surviving.

It is also interesting that oil and wine are not to be harmed. Wheat is harvested during Pentecost, during the spring harvest. Yet, oil and wine are not affected indicating that the later harvest, associated with the Feast of Booths, has not been hurt. Thus, the famine is severe but does not last the whole year. The judgments of the seven seals, therefore, are escalating, but have not climaxed yet. Perhaps it is significant that the sacramental elements are to be left untouched: bread, wine and oil.

4.4 Fourth Seal: The Fourth Horseman (6:7-8)

7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

The color of this horse, usually translated “pale,” is chloros in Greek. From this word, we get the English “chlorophyll,” which gives leaves their green color. It is better translated “green” and should probably be understood in terms of a sickly color.

The rider’s name, “Death and Hades,” seems to demonstrate that he is the worst of the four. In fact, it seems that the fourth horseman is a combination of the other riders that came before.

The meaning of power over “a fourth of the earth” is unclear. It may be seen as part of the overall destruction of one third of the land (8:7-12), while the Chalices destroy all that’s left.

The final horseman’s judgment of famine and violence may find a first century fulfillment in the situation of Jerusalem before the judgment of the year 70. Josephus described the state of Jerusalem before it fell: “The madness of the seditious did also increase together with their famine, and both those miseries were every day inflamed more and more; for there was no corn which anywhere appeared publicly, but the robbers came running into, and searched men’s private houses; and then, if they found any, they tormented them, because they had denied they had any; and if they found none, they tormented them worse, because they supposed they had more carefully concealed it. … [A] table was nowhere laid for a distinct meal, but they snatched the bread out of the fire, half-baked, and ate it very hastily.”

Hence, violence and famine afflicted Jerusalem, just as John saw.

4.5 Fifth Seal: The Souls under the Altar (6:9-11)

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10they cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth? 11Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

The image of disembodied souls under the altar, crying out for the judgment of their murderers, calls to mind Old Testament stories such as Abel’s, who blood cried out to God for vengeance on his brother Cain (Genesis 4:10). Of course, here in Revelation 6, the “souls” of the saints, not the “blood,” cry out. However, since the Bible often closely associates “soul” and “blood” (see Leviticus 17:11), the image is to be taken in the same way.

The description of these saints “as under the altar” is probably meant to illustrate their deaths as sacrificial. When animals were sacrificed in the temple, the blood from the offering would actually run down to the base of the altar (Leviticus 9:9) ending up “under the altar.” The “blood,” and hence, the “souls,” of these martyrs are “under the altar,” because they offered their lives in sacrifice to God.

John learns that these saints must wait until “the full number” of martyrs is killed, illustrating that God is holding back his judgment, which will eventually be poured out all at once. This evokes Jesus’ words to the Pharisees: “Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers … that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of the innocent Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly, I say to you, all this will come upon this generation” (Matthew 23:32, 35).

The white garments symbolize the “righteous deeds” (Revelation 19:8) of these saints and thereby connects them with the twenty-four elders (Revelation 4:4), who have also offered their lives as priestly sacrifices.

4.6 Sixth Seal: The Wrath of the Lamb (6:12-17)

12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?

As we saw in chapter 2, since the sun, moon, and stars were the way the ancients told time, the image of their destruction is another way of telling Jerusalem, “Your time is up!” Similarly, the image of the barren fig tree was used by Jesus as a symbol for the “fruitlessness” of Jerusalem, ripe for judgment (Matthew 21:18-19; 24:32). In fact, the wording of this passage is taken almost verbatim from Isaiah 34, where Edom is told of God’s coming judgment: “The host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4). The message is this: Jerusalem is about to experience the same judgment God leveled against the enemies of his people in the past, because Jerusalem has become like them.

“Mountains” and “islands” were places of refuge during troubled times. In saying that these places will be removed, John is telling his audience that there will be no place left to hide. Therefore those who “hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains” will also be judged. The wording here recalls Jesus’ warning to the women who stood by weeping for him as he carried his cross: “But Jesus turning to them said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us’; and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28-31).

The reference to the green word is best understood as a warning that the wickedness of the Jewish leaders who killed Jesus is nothing compared to the evil state of Jerusalem at the time of the destruction in AD 70.

4.7 The 144,000 of Israel sealed (7:1-8)

God’s actions throughout salvation history often reflect a deeper spiritual reality. In the Old Testament, God dramatizes his people’s deliverance from sin by delivering them from slavery. When Israel went into exile, it was the result of their rejection of God’s covenant. Deliverance from exile, therefore, was closely connected with God’s coming to set them free from sin. For this reason, turning from sin is frequently explained by the prophets in terms of “returning” to the Lord. Forgiveness of sins is another way of saying ‘return from exile.’ This forgiveness, for a Christian, is given through the sacrament of Baptism. Because of this, John’s vision depicts the restoration of Israel from exile in terms of baptismal imagery.

1After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2The I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads.”

The reason people in the ancient world spoke of the “four corners” of the earth was because they with saw the earth as a giant temple. In the Book of Revelation, the earth is the altar upon which the faithful pour out their lives in sacrificial love.

The angel ascends with the sun in the east may be an illusion to Malachi 4:2: “But for you who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.” Another possibility is that the “rising of the sun” is a symbol for the Resurrection. In this way, the angel comes with the saving power of the resurrected Christ.

Those who have been baptized have been sealed. The “sealing of the saints” is taken from Ezekiel 9:4-6). The word for “mark” in Hebrew is simply a Hebrew letter, a taw, which in paleo-Hebrew script looks like an ‘x’ or a ‘+’. The early Church Fathers saw this as the sign of the Cross, made on the forehead of believers. The image in Revelation 7 depicts God’s protection of his people from evil. These people are “sealed” by his power through Baptism. They become his people, his family, his sons and daughters.

In Revelation 7, John sees that God has protected his children. They are not, however, necessarily protected from physical harm. In fact, they are called to “love not their lives even unto death” (Revelation 12:11). Rather, God protects his Church from a greater threat. As Jesus said: “[D]o not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28).

4And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel, 5twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah, twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben, twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad, 6twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher, twelve thousand of the tribe of Naphtali, twelve thousand of the tribe of Manasseh, 7twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon, twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi, twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar, 8twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph, twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.

Jehovah Witnesses say that the 144,000 are special individuals who will make it to heaven. According to them, the rest, “the great multitude” spoken of in 7:9, will live on earth. The problem with this is that John later says that a “great multitude” is in heaven (Revelation 19:1).

So who are the 144,000? John tells us that they are whose who are from the twelve tribes of Israel. Why 144,000? Because this number represents the “full number” of Israelites saved. 144,000 is a symbolic number: 12 x 12 x 1,000. John seems to show that the twelve tribes are those restored in the Church, under the twelve apostles. One thousand is a number symbolizing completeness.

But is it Israel that is portrayed here? Could this be symbolic too? In other words, does John see actual Israelites, or does he see the Church as the replacement of Israel? Perhaps “Israel” is merely a symbol for the Church, God’s people. To better understand what is going on here, we have to remember God’s Old Testament promises.

At this point, it will be helpful to briefly consider the major events in Israel’s history, from David onward.

1000 BC King David reigns over all twelve tribes.

930 BC The northern tribes break away and form their own kingdom, called the House of “Israel” or “Ephraim.” The southern kingdom becomes known as the House of “Judah.”

722 BC The Assyrians carry the northern tribes off into exile and scatter them to the nations. They are never heard from again.

586 BC The Babylonians carry the Southern tribes off into exile.

538 BC The Southern tribes, the Judahites, also called, “the Jews,” return from their exile and start rebuilding.

Notice two things about the history of Israel summarized above: Not all Israelites are “Jews.” Jews are only those from the southern kingdom of “Judah.” Those who belonged to the northern kingdom were “non-Jewish” Israelites. This is important. Secondly, only the Jews from the southern house returned from exile. Those from the northern tribes who were carried away were never heard from again. This is also important.

So what happened to those northern tribes? Today they are spoken of as “the Lost Tribes of Israel.” Although Mormons believe these tribes came to America and settled here, there is no biblical or archeological evidence to support this view. Indeed, the northern tribes were truly lost. Even the rabbis debated whether or not they would ever return.

The Old Testament, though, seems to be pretty clear on the matter. According to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the rest of the prophets, God promised to bring them back. He promised a restoration of “all Israel.” This restoration would not include every single Israelite – some would reject him – but rather a restoration of all the tribes, the northern and southern kingdoms. The famous prophecy that tells of the “new covenant” explicitly states this: “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” (Jeremiah 31:31). This idea of a reunited Israel is found throughout the Old Testament. Here are some examples:

· “In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant which is left of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pahros, from Ethipioa, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise an ensign for the nations, and will assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. The jealousy of Ephraim shall depart, and those who harass Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not be jealous of Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim” (Isaiah 11:11-13).

· “For behold the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah, says the Lord, and I will bring them back to the land which I gave to their fathers” (Jeremiah 30:3).

· “How can I give you up, O Ephraim! How can I hand you over, O Israel! … They shall go after the Lord, he will roar like a lion; yea; he will roar, and his sons shall come trembling like birds from Egypt, and like doves from the land of Assyria; and I will return them to their homes, says the Lord! (Hosea 11:8, 10-11).

And this hope isn’t confined to biblical books. Other books written in and around the time of the first century express the hope for the New Exodus, wherein God will bring his people out of the nations to which they have been scattered – even the lost northern tribes. The Testament of Simeon recorded in the apocryphal book “The Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs” states: “And now, my children, obey Levi, and in Judah shall ye be redeemed: and be not lifted up against these two tribes, for from them shall arise to you the salvation of God. For the Lord shall raise up from Levi as it were a priest, and from Judah as it were a King, God and man. SO shall he save all the Gentiles and the race of Israel.” Similarly, the book called 2 Baruch speaks of the restoration of the twelve tribes, saying, “[God] with much mercy will gather together again those who were dispersed.” This idea was common in John’s day.

This is God’s promise, but it seemed impossible to fulfill. After all, the northern tribes were scattered to the nations. They assimilated into them, intermarried, and became one with them. How could they ever return?

Paul explains how. Paul was the missionary to the Gentiles, but not to the Gentiles alone (Acts 9:15). Paul explained that he held fast to the promises “to which our twelve tribes hope to attain” (Acts 26:7). So why did Paul go to the Gentiles? Because that’s where the descendants of Israel were! His hearers might not have known that, somewhere way back in their family tree, Israelites had intermarried with their ancestors, but God did.

In this respect, Paul compares his situation to Elijah’s. Elijah worried that there were no righteous Israelites left in his day. God said, “I will leave seven thousand in Israel” (1 Kings 19:18). Elijah didn’t know who they were. God just said, “Don’t worry, I know where they are.” So just like Elijah, Paul didn’t know exactly who the remnant of Israel was. But that’s okay, God was keeping track.

Paul’s mission, then, was to preach to the Gentiles. However, Paul explains to the Romans how all of Israel would be saved: “A hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of Gentiles come in, and so all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:25-26). The restoration of the tribes represents the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise to Israel.

The vision of the salvation of the 144,000 reveals that God has kept his promise. A righteous remnant from all the twelve tribes has been saved. This concern for the salvation of all the twelve tribes of Israel was also found in other writings from the early Church. The Epistula Apostolorum, dated to the middle of the second century, tells the command of the Lord: “Go and preach to the twelve tribes of Israel and to the Gentiles … and to the land of Israel towards east and west, north and south, and many will believe in me, the Son of God.”

4.8 The multitude from every nation (7:9-17)

9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!” 11And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshipped God, 12saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.”

Whereas in 7:4-8 John saw the 144,000 saved from Israel, in verses 9-12, he sees a group “from every nation, from all tribes.” God saves Israel and the Gentiles. This was an important part of the New Exodus hope. In the first Exodus, God saved Israel by delivering them from the Egyptians. In the New Exodus, Israel will return to God, but this time the nations are coming with them.

Those in this vision hold palm branches in their hands. Palm branches were often used in the Old Testament to celebrate the restoration of the temple (Nehemiah 8:15; 1 Maccabees 13:51). Here in the Book of Revelation the saints are celebrating their admittance into the true temple of heaven. In just a couple of verses, we read about how these saints are depicted as serving in the temple of God in heaven (Revelation 7:15).

There are also several parallels between Revelation 7 and the vision of the Lamb in Revelation 5.

This shows that the saints in both chapters share in the same communion.

13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, “Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?” 14I said to him, “Sir, you know.” And he said to me, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Washing robes and making them white is probably an allusion to Daniel 12:10. There the image is meant to portray those who have been delivered. The saints John sees are those who have been delivered as well.

15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heart. 17For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Here God is pictured as one who is the shelter for his people. Later on we are told that God and the Lamb actually are the temple of heaven. Those who enter heaven actually enter the life of God. Indeed, the “living waters” here, as we shall see in Revelation 22, can be understood as the Holy Spirit.

There are also several allusions here to Isaiah’s vision of the New Exodus (Isaiah 49).

Of course, all of this occurs through the Davidic Messiah. John evokes Ezekiel 34, another prophecy concerning the restoration of Israel. In this passage, the Lord explains that Israel is His sheep and that he will “bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land” (Ezekiel 34:13). This will happen through the Messiah. “And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them” (Ezekiel 34:23). The Lamb, Jesus, is the True Shepherd, who restores Israel. He leads his people to “living water” (Baptism) and feeds them (Eucharist).

4.9 The Seventh Seal: Silence (8:1)

After six seals have released horsemen who bring earthquakes, falling stars, wars and destruction, John reveals that opening the seventh seal is followed by silence.

1When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

The silence seems anti-climactic, yet this silence is truly thunderous. The half-hour of silence represents the Jewish rite of the offering of incense. The next few verses describe the angels in heaven performing the same ritual that the Levitical priests carried out in the earthly temple. Here at the seventh and final seal, we see the liturgy as the great climax. The liturgical prayer of God’s people is more earthshaking than any earthquake, more dramatic than the stars being darkened. The effects of liturgy are far more profound than we could ever imagine.

~ 13 ~