Posted on 08/23/2016 7:33:08 AM PDT by Salvation
We are currently reading from St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Thessalonians in daily Mass, and given the focus of on the “end times,” it might be good to review certain basic Catholic teachings on this matter, the theology of which is called eschatology.
The Catholic approach to the end times is different from that in certain (but not all) Protestant circles, especially the Evangelicals, who have a strong and often vivid preoccupation with signs of the Second Coming of Christ. Many of the notions that are expressed there are either erroneous or extreme. Some of these notions are rooted in a misunderstanding of the various genres of Scripture; others are caused by reading certain Scriptures in isolation from the wider context of the whole of Scripture; and some are rooted in reading one text while disregarding others that balance it.
The Catholic approach to eschatology is perhaps less thrilling and provocative. It does not generate movie series like “Left Behind” or cause people to sell their houses and gather on hillsides waiting for the announced end. It is more methodical and seeks to balance a lot of notions that often hold certain truths in tension with one another.
What I offer here I do not propose to call a complete eschatology, only a sketch of basic principles rooted in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
While we cannot know the exact time of His coming, there are things that both remind us of and signal His approach—if we have eyes to see them. These signs give indications only. The presence of such texts cannot be seen to overrule that He will come “on a sudden” and that many will be caught unawares.
Here are some notes from the Catechism (in black, the Blue and Red texts are my additions/comments).
1. Soon and Sudden – Since the Ascension, Christ’s coming in glory has been imminent (Rev 22:20), even though “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority”(Acts 1:7). This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment, even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are “delayed” (Mat 24:44; 1 Thess 5:2; 2 Thess 2:3-12) (CCC # 673).
Of all the points the Catechism makes, this one sets the tone of balance that must be maintained. On the one hand Christ says that He is coming soon and that His coming could be both sudden and without warning, but this truth must be held in tension with other truths that set forth certain things that must be accomplished and certain signs that must appear before then. And these things are not easily or quickly accomplished.
2. Suspended – The glorious Messiah’s coming is suspended at every moment of history until his recognition by “all Israel” (Romans 11:20-26; Mat 23:39), for “a hardening has come upon part of Israel” in their “unbelief” (Romans 11:20-26) toward Jesus. St. Peter says to the Jews of Jerusalem after Pentecost: “Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. (Acts 3:19-21)” St. Paul echoes him: “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Rom 11:15) The “full inclusion” of the Jews in the Messiah’s salvation, in the wake of “the full number of the Gentiles” (Rom 11:12), will enable the People of God to achieve “the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ”, in which “God may be all in all” (Eph 4:13; 1 Cor 15:27-28) (CCC # 674).
This going forth of the Gospel to all the nations and the acceptance of Christ by the Jews would seem to be matters that would take some time.
Has the Gospel really reached all the nations? Have the full number of Gentiles come in and are they serving God and repenting in sufficient numbers? Perhaps so, one might argue. There are very few places in the world where there is no Christian presence, and yet on a planet of seven billion people less than a third are Christian. And what is meant by the “full number” of Gentiles? That number is hidden from us and can surely be debated.
Has the “hardening” that has come upon the Israel been lifted? This, too, is debatable. Despite certain movements of “Messianic Jews,” it does not seem that the hardening that has come on Israel has been lifted in any wide sort of way or that Jesus has been recognized by “all Israel.”
3. Suffering and Sedition– Before Christ’s second coming, the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers (Luke 18:8; Mt 24:12). The persecution 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 (2 Thess 2:4-12; 1 Thess 5:2-3; 1 Jn 2:18-22) (CCC # 675).
Clearly, many of these troubles have afflicted the Church in every age. There has always been persecution. Many have fallen away—most into schism, some into unbelief. There have also been times when the love of many has grown cold.
Clearly these are severe problems and they have grown to envelop most of the world today. Only God knows when these signs will be present in a definitive rather than merely prefigurative way.
4. Secular Utopianism Rejected – The Antichrist’s deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the “intrinsically perverse” political form of a secular messianism (CCC # 676).
Many in human history, and especially in modern times, have advanced the notion that a secular utopia can be ushered in by human effort and by submitting to a government or worldly power or a charismatic figure.
Many repressive regimes and movements (often led by powerful or charismatic leaders) of the last century claimed the power to usher in such a utopia. The sad legacy of the 20th century shows how tragic and bloody such attempts have been.
The Church also rejects religious forms of this idea, which hold that prior to the Second Coming of Christ a period of a thousand years is set aside during which Christ will reign on earth or during which the Church will somehow attain a total victory prior to His Second Coming.
5. Second Coming follows a final unleashing of evil – The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection (Rev 19:1-9). The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God’s victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven (Rev 13:1ff; Rev 20:7-9; Rev 21:2-4). God’s triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world (CCC # 677).
A final and intense unleashing is envisaged by Scripture and the Church, and this cosmic conflict will usher in the great triumph and the Last Judgment. This unleashing of the full power of the Devil in the very end is mysterious and difficult to understand, but it is clearly set forth in Scripture—perhaps as a final test for the Church, perhaps as a definitive demonstration of the power of God.
Balance! Please note that while we may wish to focus on just one or two of the points above, each of the five points must be held in balance. In one sense all of these signs have been present in the Church’s history, yet not in the definitive and final sense.
Thus, while these are signs that do in fact signal, accompany, and usher in the last things, exactly when and how they come together in a definitive sense cannot be known by us. If we could know, then Christ’s clear words that He will come at an hour we do not expect (cf Mat 24:44) and that no one knows the day or hour (cf Matt 24:36) would be violated.
The key point is that we must hold all five principles in balance and must accept the tension of knowing the signs but not the definitive timing.
Most errors in eschatology proceed from a lack of balance and a failure to appreciate that the final age in which we live is steeped in mysteries and meanings known fully only by God. Time itself is mysterious as are the deeper meanings of events and human history. The Lord, while giving us a framework that reminds us of His coming and signals us in a merciful way to remember, has insisted that it is not for us to know the time or season fixed by the Father, let alone the day and hour.
Humility, prayerful vigilance, readiness through obedience and the gift of holiness, along with an eager, longing heart for the Kingdom in all its glory, represent our best posture.
The Catholic approach may not be the stuff of movies or bestsellers, but it is the balanced and trusting faith to which we are summoned.
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you all. Amen (Rev 22:20-21).
Monsignor Pope Ping!
I remember you read a book that was a Catholic interpitation of the end times and St. Theresa read.
I have a problem with the term “second coming.” I agree with the concept of a final coming in Glory, but why limit Jesus to just two visits? I believe He comes to us all of the time, and several specific times in history (such as coming in judgement, as he said he would, at the destruction of the temple).
But He will come again at the close of the age.
Since the piece attacks the evangelical Protestant understanding of the end times, I feel entitled to respond.
How does a Catholic get to heaven if he is here at the moment of the Second Coming, since purgatory is required?
“Lots to think about here. “
Amen... Thanks again.
Purgatory may be, from our perspective, instantaneous although from the perspective from a soul outside of time quite lengthy.
Second Thessalonians means what it says and says what it means. The events of Revelation will happen. The marriage supper of the lamb is an actual event. If anyone is taking Scripture out of context or doesn't understand things, it's the guy who wrote this article.
There is something very funny about rejecting the literal kingship of their "messiah" in the name of spirituality while wanting the exact same thing under somebody else.
Your belief is at odds with Scripture. The Bible tells us plainly He doesn’t return over and over again, so you have been misled.
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.”
—Matthew 24:23
“And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.”
—Luke 17:23
“Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
—Acts 1:11
The Bible tells us not to believe it when we hear He has appeared here and there, which is but one of the many reasons I don’t believe He returns 350,000 times a day at the command of Catholic priests who utter the magic words of consecration to be a victim on their blasphemous altars. His once-for-all atoning death on the cross cleansed His people of all sin (1John 1:7) and all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9) so there is no efficacy in continuing daily unbloody sacrifices. And since He cleanses us of all sin, we can be assured that Purgatory is a Romish fiction, too.
Is there shedding of blood in Purgatory? If not, that is another way to know the concept is at odds with the Bible. Hebrews 9:22 teaches that there must be shedding of blood to have forgiveness of sins.
The Bible also tells us He will return the same way He left, not at the beck and call of sinful priests. There won’t be any doubt when he returns, for every eye will see Him.
In the end I don’t care what Catholics believe about the Second Coming. I want them to understand His First Coming. There is no reason to be fooled on these matters because the Bible spells it out in plain fashion. Catholics must choose to willingly believe the fictions of Rome over the Bible, so they won’t have any excuse for continuing to genuflect before a wafer.
“But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
—1 John 1:7
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
—1 John 1:9
“’I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me.”
—Jeremiah 33:8
“And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”
—Hebrews 1:3
” saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,”
—Titus 3:5
Reference for 350,000 dally masses:
http://forcatholicholymass.blogspot.com/2010/08/now-this-is-communion.html
That's a pious opinion based on private revelation, not defined teaching. A Catholic is free to reject all of it, part of it, etc.
In general, the Catholic approach to this is pretty good, though there is at least one error I commonly see that the author didn’t address. It’s very common for Catholics to misinterpret John’s vision of the woman in Revelation who is “clothed in the sun with the moon at her feet” as describing Mary. In fact, this error is so common, a lot of Mary iconography in the Catholic church portrays her this way quite literally, with a moon under her feet and the sun/stars surrounding her or on her cloak (the Virgin of Guadalupe is a good example).
I think the reason we talk about the “second coming” is that there are only 2 “comings” of Jesus that are public, intended to be witnessed by (or publicized to) the entire world. Those are the essential appearances that fulfill prophecy and complete God’s plan of salvation.
I’m sure Jesus appeared privately or in other forms many other times, but if a person never knew of those, it wouldn’t affect their salvation at all. However, if they are ignorant of the first or second coming, then they are in trouble.
Yes, but I don’t think those are “official” views of their church. They may be popular, but they are still just private interpretations of visions that Catholics are not required to accept.
Still, if they officially reject similar notions of an earthly kingdom from other traditions, you would think they would also reject such ideas even if they came from Catholics.
“The Bible tells us plainly He doesn’t return over and over again, so you have been misled.”
I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as you make it. If it were, the Apostles would have quickly rejected Saul as a liar when he claimed that Jesus appeared to him, wouldn’t they?
The Bible does seem to rule out many public returns of Jesus, but that doesn’t rule out private appearances before the second coming (or previous appearances before the incarnation).
Yup.
So what, exactly, is the *OFFICIAL*, infallible church teaching on the subject that all Catholics are bound to believe? Is what Msgr Pope posted here binding all all Catholics worldwide? On what basis?
Or does this fall under the fallible teachings which Catholics are at liberty to believe or not? IOW, Their own private interpretation of Scripture and Catholic church teachings?
Disregard that argument if you want, but you can’t disregard the plain teaching that the Bible says Christ will only die once, not 350,000 times a day.
“8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”
—Romans 6:8-10
In Light from Old Times, J.C. Ryle explained the theological and spiritual implications—and imperfections—of the Catholic mass.
“Whatever men please to think or say, the Romish doctrine of the real presence, if pursued to its legitimate consequences, obscures every leading doctrine of the gospel, and damages and interferes with the whole system of Christ’s truth. Grant for a moment that the Lord’s Supper is a sacrifice, and not a sacrament—grant that every time the words of the consecration are used the natural body and blood of Christ are present on the communion table under the forms of bread and wine—grant that every one who eats that consecrated bread and drinks that consecrated wine does really eat and drink the natural body and blood of Christ—grant for a moment these things, and then see what momentous consequences result from these premises. You spoil the blessed doctrine of Christ’s finished work when He died on the cross. A sacrifice that needs to be repeated is not a perfect and complete thing. You spoil the priestly office of Christ. If there are priests that can offer an acceptable sacrifice to God besides Him, the great High Priest is robbed of His glory. You spoil the scriptural doctrine of the Christian ministry. You exalt sinful men into the position of mediators between God and man. You give to the sacramental elements of bread and wine an honour and veneration they were never meant to receive, and produce an idolatry to be abhorred of faithful Christians. Last, but not least, you overthrow the true doctrine of Christ’s human nature. If the body born of the Virgin Mary can be in more places than one at the same time, it is not a body like our own, and Jesus was not “the last Adam” in the truth of our nature.”
I’m with Bishop Ryle...and the Bible.
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I’m not sure why you posted that to me, since I didn’t say anything about the Catholic mass...
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