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).
Abandon your dependence on your own pitiful attempts at self-righteousness and accept His righteousness alone for eternal life.
"And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. "These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. I John 5:11-13
Good article. This calm and traditional understanding of the End Times has to compete against the spectacular dispensationalist predictions you see on TV and at many a church that has some sort of “prophecy conference.” I wish that the churches that have a traditional view of the Second Coming and related issues had more of an instructional or outreach program - even to the point of holding seminars and classes on this particular topic. Less something to bash premillennialism in particular, more to teach teach people what has historically been believed and understood.
Yes, there are two books by Michael O’Brien that have to do with a spy in the Vatican. We are reading the sequel this year.
The sequel is entitled “Elijah in Jerusalem.” The first one just had the name of “Elijah.”
He will know that day. Purgatory is not required for all.
Source?
Msgr Pope is basically repeating what the catechism says, which is authoritative teaching. Discussions of the sequence of events leading up to the second coming are somewhat more speculative, of course.
The basic, defined teaching is simple: [Nicene Creed] Jesus will "come again to judge the living and the dead" and "his kingdom shall have no end". The idea of the "millennium" as Jesus physically returning to earth and then visibly ruling over an earthly kingdom for a thousand years has also been formally condemned. (Jesus returns to earth once, and that event is immediately followed by the general judgement and the new heavens and the new earth. There is no 1000 gap between the second coming and the general judgement.)
"Bishop" Ryle doesn't have a clue what he's talking about, since Jesus does not die again in the Mass, and the Mass is not "repeating" any sacrifice, but is making the one single sacrifice of Calvary present to us in time.
It would be more productive if you guys would actually engage Catholic teaching rather than rejecting a strawman caricature of it.
http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch22.htm
ON THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS
CANONS
CANON I.—If any one saith, that in the mass a true and proper sacriflce is not offered to God; or, that to be offered is nothing else but that Christ is given us to eat; let him be anathema.
CANON II.—If any one saith, that by those words, Do this for the commemoration of me (Luke xxii. 19), Christ did not institute the apostles priests; or, did not ordain that they, and other priests should offer His own body and blood; let him be anathema.
CANON III.—If any one saith, that the sacrifice of the mass is only a sacrifice of praise and of thanksgiving; or, that it is a bare commemoration of the sacrifice consummated on the cross, but not a propitiatory sacrifice; or, that it profits him only who receives; and that it ought not to be offered for the living and the dead for sins, pains, satisfactions, and other necessities; let him be anathema.
CANON IV.—If any one saith, that, by the sacrifice of the mass, a blasphemy is cast upon the most holy sacrifice of Christ consummated on the cross; or, that it is thereby derogated from; let him be anathema.
CANON V.—If any one saith, that it is an imposture to celebrate masses in honour of the saints, and for obtaining their intercession with God, as the Church intends; let him be anathema.
CANON VI.—If any one saith, that the canon of the mass contains errors, and is therefore to be abrogated; let him be anathema.
CANON VII.—If any one saith, that the ceremonies, vestments, and outward signs, which the Catholic Church makes use of in the celebration of masses, are incentives to impiety, rather than offices of piety; let him be anathema.
CANON VIII.—If any one saith, that masses, wherein the priest alone communicates sacramentally, are unlawful, and are, therefore, to be abrogated; let him be anathema.
CANON IX.—If any one saith, that the rite of the Roman Church, according to which a part of the canon and the words of consecration are pronounced in a low tone, is to be condemned; or, that the mass ought to be celebrated in the vulgar tongue only; or, that water ought not to be mixed with the wine that is to be offered in the chalice, for that it is contrary to the institution of Christ; let him be anathema.
If you accept Vatican 2,
you think your church is alive.
If you reject Vatican 2,
you know your church is dead.
Heh,......
Does that mean all the English masses from the time of V2 are now invalid and those who participate in them are under that anathema?
P.S. I DON'T endorse that book, and I'm not RC anymore.
I don't think so, but based on my time in the SSPX, it means that the RCC had no right to ban the Latin Mass.
After I got saved, and read the letter to the ROMANS, I realized that ROME needs to go and read the book that Paul sent to them.
They either forgot the letter, or NEVER read it in the first place.
So in your economy, Jesus is always dying but never dead?
How then, is our sin paid for?
Y'all are presenting a Jesus who is continually dying but never dead.
And then you call it the celebration of the sacrifice of the mass? I sure wouldn't want to be in a position of *celebrating* the continual killing of Jesus!
My sin put Him on the cross and I find that no reason to celebrate or ever remember what I did to put Him there.
He's forgiven and forgotten my sins and I am not going to go dredging them up again.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised.
For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.
I don’t see the point in outright banning the Latin mass.
What would have been the harm of offering both and letting the people decide which one they preferred?
I remember the fallout when they changed to English and turned the altar around.
The older people, especially.......
It’s like their best friend died. They were so thrown for a loop.
Amen.
Because you replied to me and that gave me an opening to say more. Some of these posts seem to be intended as put downs for Protestants, but they don’t bother me in the least. These are God-sent openings, so I welcome the opportunity to put the truth in front of folks who might not otherwise see it. There is a well-attended Roman Catholic Church near my neighborhood and I always want to go over and talk to the priest and say some of the things I say here. I want to help all those people understand the truth of what happened at Calvary and why their mass is a blasphemy. I want them to see the real Christ Jesus who came according to the Scriptures. I want them to see what God’s Word really says and then realize it stands in opposition, and often condemns, what they have been taught to believe.
I believe in the sovereignty of God and that gives me a different outlook than many other believers here. Sometimes my comments aren’t really for any particular person, they are for whomever the Lord might be dealing with. My job as a believer is to stand for and spread the truth of Christ and His Word. I hope I occasionally plant some seeds that will one day grow, but that is wholly in God’s hands. We just can’t know what impact we might have. One of my favorite verses is John 6:45. I love knowing that everyone who has been taught by God the Father comes to Jesus. I also love John 10:27-30. When the truth passes through the ears of one of His sheep it will eventually have an impact.
I make mistakes and I don’t know everything, but I do know Him and He’s perfect. He reached down and graciously pulled me out of the ditch of sin and death. I want others to know the real Christ Jesus and to have that sweet peace that passes all understanding.
It’s right there in the post.
Vatican Council II Documents, “For in the sacrifice of the Mass Our Lord is immolated when ‘he begins to be present sacramentally as the spiritual food of the faithful under the appearances of bread and wine.’ It was for this purpose that Christ entrusted this sacrifice to the Church, that the faithful might share in it both spiritually, by faith and charity, and sacramentally, through the banquet of Holy Communion. Participation in the Lord’s Supper is always communion with Christ offering himself for us as a sacrifice to the Father.”
Vatican Council II Documents, No. 9, Eucharisticum Mysterium, 25 May 1967, Vol. I, Sec. 3, pp. 102-103
If he’s not supposed to be dying, then the word “immolate” makes no sense. Moreover, time and again it is referred to as an “unbloody sacrifice.” Regardless, it’s a blasphemy and of no positive effect. There is so much more I could say here but I must get back to work.
[The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist]
This “teaching” would be hilarious perhaps, were it not so stark. I’ve concluded there’s no point in trying to explain.
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