Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.The persecutions that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth.The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist,a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh. - Catholic Catechism
After this I looked,and,lo in heaven an open door!....''Come up hither''. Rev.4:1
The Church on earth: The word Apocalypse means ''the lifting of the veil'', it is a revelation of Christ to his bride the Church. ''Behold,I stand at the door and knock;If anyone hears my voice and opens the door,I will come in to him and eat with him,and he with me.'' Rev.3:20 Here the Lord is offering us communion with himself.The more we invite him into our lives,the more he will abide in us and we in Him. John.6:56. After 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'' Rev.4:1. To 'come up hither' is to experience heaven on earth! As we open the door of our hearts to him,he will then open the door of heaven to us. Remember what Jesus said in John.3:3?...''no one can see the Kingdom of heaven with out being born from above.'' When we are born from above we can see the Church from a heavenly perspective,rather than an earthly perspective.This is why we pray 'on earth as it is in heaven' Mat.6:10. And even the saints listen to our prayers and make intersession for us ! Rev.5:8,8:3. I don't believe that ''come up hither' has much to do with the rapture;for the last trumpet must sound,after the tribulation;See.Mat.24:29-31,1 Cor.15:52.
Now as we read on in Rev.4:3,we see someone sitting on the throne,and that someone is the Lord Jesus Christ, ...''You are worthy,our Lord and God,to receive glory and honour and power,for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.'' Rev.4:8.This shows that the Lord sits at the right hand of the Father and is worshiped as God! Luk.17:21.The Lord Jesus is truly present in our lives as we worship him;rev.4:11,as we abide in his Word john.14:23,as we rekindle the Holy Spirit,2 tim.1:6 and as we celebrate the Eucharist 1cor.11:26,1 cor.10:16.As we read through Revelation He ''will lift our veil'' and we as the bride of Christ will see our bridegroom and see his glory...Now John said ''On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit''...Rev.1:10. John understood what it meant to be born of water and spirit .John.3:5. He was in prayer when the Lord spoke to him.! Let us also do the same,that we may hear what the spirit says to the Churches...Rev.2:7.
Seven seals,Seven trumpets: Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals....I watched as the Lamb opened the first of seven seals...Rev.5:1,6:1.The scroll with the seven seals contains God's divine plan for mankind, which only the Lamb was found worthy to open,it may contain the verdict and sentencing on those who 'practice lawlessness'.Mat.7:23.The first four seals release four horsemen;a white horse who went out to conquer,a red horse who brings war,a black horse who brings famine,and a pale horse who brings pestilence.When the fifth seal is opened John sees the souls of those who have been slain because of the Word of God and their testimony (these were of the early Church and through out the ages) ''Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death...'' Mat.24:9.And were given a white robe,a symbol of victory.And when the sixth seal was opened we begin to see the cosmic disturbances that Jesus spoke about in Mat.24:29,30 ''the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give it's light;the stars will fall from the sky,and the heavenly bodies will be shaken''. Now the tribulation of those days has come to an end and as the seventh seal is opened,we see seven angels with seven trumpets.With each trumpet blast a judgement falls,similar to the ten plagues on Egypt in the Exodus.And notice in Rev.9:21 Nor did they repent... Just like Pharaoh...yet his heart was unyielding...Ex.9:7.When the angel sounded the last trumpet there were loud voices in heaven saying,'' The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,and he will reign for ever and ever.'' Rev.11:15.see also 1king.1:34.Lev.23:24.This tells us that the Kingdom of Christ is a present reality,through his Church ''the Kingdom of God is among you'' Luk.17:21.And since this is the last trumpet this may fulfill 1 cor.15:52...at the last trumpet....For the trumpet will sound,the dead will be raised imperishable,and we will be changed.Now let's look at another passage here because it is fascinating,Then God's temple in heaven was opened and within his temple was seen the Ark of the Covenant....A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven:a woman clothed with the sun,with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.Rev.11:19-12:1.Here John has a vision of the 'ark of the Covenant' and he describes it as a 'woman clothed with the sun and moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head'.But who was this woman? She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.Rev.12:2,Gen.3:16.She gave birth to a son,a male child,who will rule all the nations with an iron rod. Rev,12:5, Mat.1:21.As the ark of the 'old'covenant carried the the Word in stone,Mary carried the Word in flesh,the old ark carried the manna,Mary carried the true bread of heaven,and as the ark of the 'old' covenant carried the rod of Aaron,a sign of the priesthood,so too did Mary carry Jesus Christ our priest of God most high.Mary is not only the mother of Christ but she is the mother of the new creation...the rest of her offspring-those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. Rev.12:17. She is also queen mother, just as Bathsheba was queen mother under her son, King Solomon.1 Kin.2:19. And the dragon of course was the ancient serpent called the devil.Gen.3:1,who persecutes her children, the Church.Gen.3:15.The Temple that John saw was Jesus for he destroyed the Temple and built it up again after three days.John.2:19.This vision can also be seen as Israel and the birth of their Messiah,see.Gen.37:9.
The two Beasts:And I saw a beast coming out of the sea.He had ten horns,and seven heads,with ten crowns on his horns and on each head a blasphemous name.Rev.13:1.The ten horns are ten kings with 'crowns' that symbolize a 'kingdom', and the 'coming out of the sea' represents his rise to power Rev.17:12,15.The emperors of Rome were seen as divine,during Nero's reign on their coins he was called the 'savior' and when Domitian reigned he gave himself the title 'Lord and God'.This is what John sees as a 'blasphemous name'.God wants to make us into a kingdom of priests to offer him the pure fire of sacrifice.Rev.1:6. While Satan wants his own kingdom and glory,so he makes war against the Lamb.Rev,17:14.In the land of Judea,Herod was King of the Jews,but was not of house or line of David instead was appointed by the the Roman empire.When the true King (Jesus) was born,Herod tried to kill him.Mat.2:13.The beast I saw resembled a leopard,but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion.The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. Rev.13:2.This is the same vision Daniel had in Dan.7:3-7 which represent four pagan empires;Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome.This beast then would be all the political power in history that Satan corrupted.We will see a similar power in the future. Then I saw another beast,coming out of the earth.He had two horns like a lamb,but spoke like a dragon. Rev.13:11.Now in first century Christians understood this as an alliance between pagan Rome and apostate Jerusalem. ...even now many Antichrists have come. 1 John.2:18.The first beast 'comes out of the sea',but the second beast 'comes out of the earth'. In Greek earth can mean 'land' or 'country'.The high priests of the Jews who were to sacrifice the lambs during passover corrupted themselves when Pilate said "Here is your King'', and they said "crucify him!....''we have no King but Caesar'' John.19"14,15. They rejected the Lamb of God and worshipped the beast! We will see a similar betrayal in the future....the Antichrist is coming....... 1 John.2:18.There have been many different interpretations of this passage,many believe this is a future Pope. But how do they know that? And why are they adding things to the words of this book? I warn everyone....if anyone adds anything to them,God will to him add the plagues described in this book. Rev.22:18
In 1 John.2:22 says,Such a man is the Antichrist-he denies the Son and the Father. No Pope in history has ever denied the divinity of Christ! In Dan.11:36 it says,...He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. When did the Pope in history ever exalt himself? For Jesus said ''He who hears you hears me...'' Lul.10:16.The Lord gave him infallibility! And when did the Pope ever say unheard-of things against God? Every Pope when elected says the same thing ''Praised be the Lord Jesus Christ'' No one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. 1cor.12:3.Now what is the mark of the beast? First of all the mark identifies you with the Antichrist...all who refused to worship the image to be killed. Rev.13:15. Secondly it represents the God of mammon that Jesus spoke about in Mat.6:24.You cannot serve both God and mammon.And.....no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark...Rev.13:17.In Dan.11:38 says..he will honor with gold and silver....Dan.11:24...He will distribute plunder,loot and wealth among his followers. This is what the judgment in Rev.18:11-19 is all about.'In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin! True believers will have the name of the Lamb on their foreheads.Rev.14:1,but the counterfeits will have the name of the beast on their foreheads.Rev.13:16
Armageddon: Armageddon when translated in Hebrew is Har-Megiddo which means Mount of Megiddo,where in 609BC. a battle took place between Egypt and Judah when Josiah was King,and was killed.2 kings.23:29-30,2 chr.35:20-35.The battle of Armageddon in Rev.16:16 begins with the seven bowls of judgement in vs.1.What is happening here? God is judging his people for breaking his Covenant....Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant.Dan.11:30....but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.Dan.11:32.In the first century it was Jerusalem that broke the covenant by persecuting the Christians.Jerusalem is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt,where also their Lord was crucified.Rev.11:8.As Sodom and Egypt stood in the way of God's covenant plan so too did Jerusalem.Therefore Jerusalem must be....refined,purified and made spotless until the time of the end,for it will come at the appointed time.Dan.11:35. In Luk.21:20,22 Jesus said,''When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies,you know that it's desolation is near....For this is the time of punishment in all that is written.'' This was partially fulfilled in 70AD.When Titus the emperor of Rome conquered Jerusalem.While under siege Jerusalem suffered famine and pestilence and death,like we read about here in Rev.16.The Temple was also destroyed and the sacrifices stopped,for there is now a new sacrifice...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people...Heb.9:28. The old covenant came to an end,and the new covenant had begun.But some of the lost images of Jerusalem can be seen in Revelation;such as the Temple,the priest,the lamb for the sacrifice,the alter,the lamp-stands and Mount Zion.We now incorporate 'heavenly' Jerusalem into our worship Heb.12:1-24.Now at end of the seven bowls of judgement we see a woman sitting on a scarlet beast with a mystery name ''Babylon the great,mother of harlots and of earth's abominations''. Again there are those who interpret this as the Catholic Church;but we must never add anything to the words of the book! Rev.22:18. Rather let's trust what the book says...And the woman that you saw is the great city...Rev.17:18. It's not a church, it's the great city...''where their Lord was crucified.'' Rev.11:8.This would mean Jerusalem...And at that hour there was an earthquake and a tenth of the city fell...Re.11:13.When did the Catholic Church become a harlot? For two thousand years they have proclaimed the Gospel,1 cor.15:3,remembered the Lord's sacrifice,luk.22:19,and have abstained from sexual immorality,acts.15:20.And notice;The beast...will hate the prostitute...and leave her naked.Rev.17:16.It's no secret that Rome hated Jerusalem and left her desolate;but first conspired with her to kill the Lamb of God.see.Luk.23:12. Jerusalem however was described as a harlot in Hos.4:13-15 and unfaithful in Hos.1:2.However Jerusalem will be restored in the future as we will see...and showed me the Holy City Jerusalem coming down out of heaven.It shone with glory of God...Rev.21:10,11.And all of Israel will be saved...''They will live in their own land.''Jer.23:8
The Lambs Supper: ''Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!'' Rev.19:9.We have now reached the climax of salvation history,the return of our Lord and the wedding feast.His coming is not just a present reality anymore Luk.17:24,but now a future event:I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse,whose rider is called Faithful and True.With justice he judges and makes war.His eyes are like blazing fire,and on his head are many crowns.He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God.Rev.19:11-13.Wow what a vision! Look at what it says in Rev.1:7,Look he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him...The whole world will see him even those who reject him,this will be the television event of our life! Before the wedding feast takes place,we must stand before God at his Judgment seat.Rev.20:11-15.We will be judged according to our faith Rev.20:4,but also according to our works...each person was judged according to what he had done.Rev.20:13.See also Ecc.12:13,14.Notice also Rev.14:13 ''...for their deeds will follow them.'' 1 cor.3:9 says ''for we are God's fellow workers..and fire will test each man's work.Yes faith comes first,but we must prove our faith by our works.James2:18-20.But as for the cowardly,the faithless,the vile, as for murderers , fornicators,sorcerers,idolaters,and all liars,their lot shall be in the fiery lake that burns with fire and brimstone,which is the second death.Rev.21:8. And now the wedding feast which was first spoken by Christ in Mat.22:1-14.Let's take a look at why the Church is called His bride.Therefore as the Church is subject to Christ,so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.Husbands love your wives,even as Christ loved the Church when he gave himself up for her.....For this is a great mystery but I speak concerning Christ and his Church.Eph.5:15-32.Here we learn that our relationship with the Lord is a marriage covenant sealed in the blood of Christ...because we are members of his body (of his flesh and of his bones).Eph.5:30.And like a marriage we become one flesh.Eph.5:31. This is also why we celebrate the Eucharist..'This is my body'...'This is my blood...' Mat.26:26-27.We become one with him but also with each other 1 Cor.10:16-17.Paul tells us here what the Lord's purpose is:that he might present to himself the Church in all her glory,having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;but she should be holy and blameless. Eph.5:27.And Paul was responsible for us..I promised you to one husband,that I may present you as a pure virgin.2 cor.11:2. So this is what we see in Rev.21:9-11"Come I will show you the bride,the wife of the Lamb....it shone with the glory of God. Rev.21-22 is a return to Genesis 1. Here we have new creation..the first heaven and the first earth had passed away We also see a new marriage....And a new Jerusalem,coming down out of heaven from God,prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.Rev.21:1-2. ''In that day'',declares the Lord ''you will call me,'my husband'.Hos.2:16.....As Eve was brought to Adam, so too was the Church brought to Christ as his bride.They will be his people,and God himself will be with them and be their God.Rev.21:3. The Spirit and the bride say ''Come!'' And let him who hears say,''come! Whoever is thirsty,let him come;and whoever wishes let him take the free gift of the water of life.Rev.22:17. He who testifies to these things says,''Yes.I am coming soon.'' Amen. Come,Lord Jesus.Rev.22:20
The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover,when she will follow her Lord to his death and his resurrection.The kingdom to be fullfilled,then,not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendandcy,but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil,which will cause the Bride to come down from heaven.God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgement after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world. Catholic Catechism
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