Time Is Near: Five Common Misinterpretations Of The Book Of Revelation

https://www.catholicculture.org ^ | Carl E. Olson

[NKP_Vet]

The book of Revelation, quipped Ambrose Bierce, is "a famous book in which St. John the Divine concealed all that he knew. The revealing is done by the commentators, who know nothing." And G. K. Chesterton wrote, "Though St. John the Evangelist saw many strange monsters in his vision, he saw no creature so wild as one of his own commentators."

Indeed, the book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse, is fascinating and mysterious. Like an enchanting woman, the book attracts admirers of every sort. Many attempt outlandish feats of interpretation in order to gain attention. They usually do more damage than good, their fevered explanations reflecting their biases and presumptions rather than any true insight.

Many popular commentators who obsess over the book of Revelation use it to support both implicit and overt anti-Catholic opinions. Fundamentalists, Mormons, and Jehovah's Witnesses have long associated the famed Whore of Babylon, "the mother of harlots" (Rev. 17:5), with the Catholic Church. Some also link the church of Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-25) with the Catholic Church since her members supposedly "practice immorality" and "eat food sacrificed to idols" (Rev. 2:20).

[Salvation]

The Mass in Heaven and on Earth -- How Revelation is interpreted in this book, The Lamb's Supper. A MUST read fir all Catholics.

[Salvation]

Oops
for all Catholics.

[Rashputin]

"I suggest quoting the whole phrase in context:"

Ah, for a great many Protestants context is verboten. It's not only the death kneel of the whole Bestselling Surrender and Evacuate Rupture Doctrine, it's the death kneel of all Protestantism.

That's why Protestantism begins by throwing out a portion of the Old Testament which means they start by asserting that the Holy Spirit is imperfect because the Holy Spirit cannot and did not protect Scripture from the inclusion of error from prior to Christ until the 1500s.

That leaves them with a Trinity that consists of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Self.

[metmom]

Hey, bb, here’s another thread not bashing Protestants.

And the Prot not bashing has begun.

It’d be funny if the depth of denial weren’t so sad.

[G Larry]

Oh! I know! Let dozens of authors speculate, each in a different direction, each reaching a different conclusion, then we’ll call those conclusions “inspired by the Holy Spirit”, as long as they each disparage the Catholic Church. That’s all of “the Truth” we need.

[OneWingedShark]

That's why Protestantism begins by throwing out a portion of the Old Testament

I don't think you have a good grasp of Protestantism if you think that they just throw out the Old Testament.

which means they start by asserting that the Holy Spirit is imperfect because the Holy Spirit cannot and did not protect Scripture from the inclusion of error from prior to Christ until the 1500s.

What? That's absurd.
In fact there's trinitarin themes in the Old Testement, kinda buried / not-as-obvious as the crucifixion-passover foreshadowing.
Here's Dr. Michael Heiser's presentation/lecture of The Jewish Trinity: How the Old Testament Reveals the Christian Godhead which is looking at the Old Testament alone specifically with the idea of [answering] "can we look at only the Old Testament and get the idea of the Christian Godhead?"

1. Part 1
2. Part 2
3. Part 3
4. Part 4

[OneWingedShark]

Just started the vid and (a) thanks for sharing, (b) I’ve been mulling the idea that the Catholic church and Islam could merge in the future, becoming the religion / structure from which the worship of the beast is initiated/enforced.

[metmom]

Of course it’s absurd but the truth never stopped the Prot haters from bashing Protestants..

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

I love that it gives a blessing to those who read and heed it.

[Lee N. Field]

The book of Revelation in a nutshell. A timeless message of hope for believers suffering persecution and for those others struggling not to lose faith. God is great. Jesus is victorious. Never forget that message as we struggle through this life.

The last time through I was stuck by how much John was using the OT prophets, especially the final section of Isaiah. But, always with some difference.

[ThisLittleLightofMine]

I have recently become more and more aware of how catholics view me, a believer and follower of Christ. First off they lump me into the sea of Protestants, with very little knowledge of what bible believing Christians actually believe. I attend a conservative baptist church but they always refer to “my kind” as fundamentalist. Why do they label? I am christian and I adhere to Christ example.

[metmom]

It’s the *us versus them* mentality.

In Catholic thinking there’s Catholics, and the rest of the world, who are all wrong to varying degrees.

[Rashputin]

There is no :us vs them:".

There's only please, please, stop denying the power of the Holy Spirit and in doing so avoid he consequences. People who claim to believe in the Scripture only after throwing out a good deal of the Old Testament wherein things they profess are clearly shown to be wrong are endangering their souls.

If that's "us vs them" it's the same "us vs them" people felt when Christ and the Apostles spoke to "them".

Have a nice day

[Yosemitest]

Catholics read all AROUND the Bible, but they never read THE Bible.

Does the Bible not interpret itself?

Notice Revelation 13:15-16:

“And he had power
to give life unto the image of the beast,
that the image of the beast should both
speak,
and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast
should be killed.
And he causeth all . . . to receive a mark
in their right hand,
or in their foreheads” (Rev. 13:15-16).

Now here is a deceived church—both herself deceived by, and therefore used by the devil, and also deceiving the world.
Notice, this church did not actually herself kill these mar­tyrs—she merely caused them to be killed.
And she it was, too, who CAUSES all under her domination to receive the dread MARK of the beast.



The Brand of Rome



Notice carefully what the above text tells us:

1) “He”—the leader who originated human civil govern­ment, modeled after that of the Roman Empire, in the Church.

2) “Causeth” all to receive this mark.
It is the church, not the civil government, which forces this brand on people.

3) It is the same power which caused the martyrdom of saints.

4) It brands on the people the mark of the “beast”—that is, the mark of the Roman Empire, not the mark of the church.

5) This mark is received in the right hand, and in the forehead.

So the MARK is that of the Roman Empire, which this CHURCH did cause or shall cause the western world to receive.

[Rashputin]

"I don't think you have a good grasp of Protestantism. . . "

The Anti-Christ, Anti-Christian, Pharisee Approved, Luther Subset of the Old Testament, is not the Old Testament.

The Septuagint preexisted the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ took the Sadducee and Pharisees to task for adding to the law and many other things.

If they had added uninspired Scripture to the Word of God how can anyone believe Jesus Christ wouldn't have pointed that out ? Especially anyone who claims to base everything they believe on Scripture Alone?

No Apostle ever said there was anything in the Septuagint that shouldn't be there and the Bereans were praised for searching the Scriptures, Scriptures that for the Greek Bereans were without a doubt the Greek Septuagint. It's laughable to claim anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees who survived the destruction of Jerusalem and therefore could not possibly have had any legitimate authority from the then dead Jewish priesthood have more authority than Jesus Christ. The only authority this theoretical group had was whatever they granted their themselves.

If you obey that group of Self-Appointed anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees who had no connection whatsoever to the legitimate Jewish authorities with regard to the Old Testament rather than accepting the fact that neither Jesus Christ or the Apostles ever said a thing about there being uninspired Scriptures in the Septuagint, then you are by definition a Pharisee, not a Christian.

If you believe your fellow anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees are correct and that the Bible as translated into many, many, languages and distributed throughout the world up until the time of Luther contained error, then you have to believe not only that Christ and the Apostles didn't care that the Old Testament contained uninspired books, but also that the Holy Spirit cannot and did not protect the Word of God from the inclusion of error for roughly eighteen hundred years.

If you believe that, so be it. What logically follows is that the Holy Spirit is imperfect and therefore cannot be a part of the Trinity. Since you base that denial of the perfection of the Holy Spirit on your own personal superior to the Holy Spirit Self and Self Alone acceptance of what anti-Christ Pharisees may have said, you elevate your Self into the Trinity as coequal with God the Father and God the Son replacing the Holy Spirit with the Holy Self.

Hence, you worship the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Self.

Do as you see fit but you when you hear Jesus Christ say, "I never knew you", you won't be able to plead ignorance since neither Christ or the Apostles ever told anyone to throw out a portion of His Holy Word.

[Campion]

So the MARK is that of the Roman Empire, which this CHURCH did cause or shall cause the western world to receive.

Where or what is this mark? Be precise.

[OneWingedShark]

No Apostle ever said there was anything in the Septuagint that shouldn't be there and the Bereans were praised for searching the Scriptures, Scriptures that for the Greek Bereans were without a doubt the Greek Septuagint. It's laughable to claim anti-Christ, anti-Christian, Pharisees who survived the destruction of Jerusalem and therefore could not possibly have had any legitimate authority from the then dead Jewish priesthood have more authority than Jesus Christ. The only authority this theoretical group had was whatever they granted their themselves.

What are you talking about?
Who's saying anything about the Septuagint?

If you believe that, so be it. What logically follows is that the Holy Spirit is imperfect and therefore cannot be a part of the Trinity.

I don't follow: I've not said a thing regarding the Septuagint, nor do I disbelieve the [existence of the] Holy Spirit, and your connection of these seems to be very tenuous.

Do as you see fit but you when you hear Jesus Christ say, "I never knew you", you won't be able to plead ignorance since neither Christ or the Apostles ever told anyone to throw out a portion of His Holy Word.

Are you saying that God cannot use a single book, or a single passage, to bring someone to himself?
Scripture itself seems to illustrate the contrary with the story recounted in Acts 8 of Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch reading Isiah.

[Yosemitest]

Do you really want to know?
Once you find out, you probably will not be able to believe your own Bible.

Which is more important to you?

Your church,
or
your God and His Word, the Bible ?

[Campion]

Why don’t you want to answer the question?

[imardmd1]

I'm no sure what you are getting at. Perhaps you can explain why you discuss a concept like "the Holy Spirit cannot and did not protect Scripture from the inclusion of error from prior to Christ until the 1500s" as a basis for debate.

And, did you mean "death knell"? a mistype?

And what do you make of the harpadzo--thecatching away--of the saints (and only the saints) into the clouds?