The one who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:12-17 is a message from Jesus to the church at Pergamum. John 4:32 But he said to them: I have meat to eat which you know not. It turns and cuts every way; but the believer need not fear this sword; yet this confidence cannot be supported without steady obedience. 9 The coming of the lawless one is () according to the working of Satan, with all power, () signs, and lying wonders, 10 and with all unrighteous deception among () those who perish, because they did not receive () the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Suffering, persecution, even death by martyrdom, though remaining impenetrable mysteries of evil, do not comprise an absurd dead end. Thus, on their own view, their identification of the Catholic Church with the Whore is completely impossible! tawny March 8, 2017, 10:19pm #2. There is irrefutable evidence in Revelation 1718 (the chapters Fundamentalists love to quoteagainst the Catholic Church) that proves that it is impossible for the Catholic Church to be the Whore. . Your generosity is both a blessing and encouragement. 2:18-29) "To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: Thyatira means continual sacrifice. 6 It is in your favour, nevertheless, that you loathe as I do the way the Nicolaitans are behaving. Granted the presence of the negative criteria, external guarantees establish the Divine origin of a revelation as nothing else can do. The cries for vengeance on the lips of Christian martyrs that sound so harsh are in fact literary devices the author employed to evoke in the reader and hearer a feeling of horror for apostasy and rebellion that will be severely punished by God. Remember that the most importantname is the Name above all names the Name of Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour. get answers to your Bible questions from 50+ resources ($2,400+ value! He that hath an ear, let him hear. This view was condemned in the same documents as the last mentioned. Sign up now for the latest news and deals from Bible Gateway! Or Yahweh? The objection rests on a wholly exaggerated view regarding the powers of the human intellect. The Book of Revelation had its origin in a time of crisis, but it remains valid and meaningful for Christians of all time. 1 To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. Another consists in the internal conviction felt by the soul as to the truth of the doctrine (Suarez, De Fide, IV, sect. Abraham's Bosom? This shows that the Whore persecuted not just Christians, but apostles and prophets. And the people of the world, whose names have not been written since the beginning of the world in the book of life, will be astonished when they see how the beast was once alive and is alive no longer, and is still to come. To the one who is victorious, I will give some of the hidden manna. 16:25; Gal. ), Revelation 2:17 in all English translations, NIV, Chronological Study Bible, Comfort Print: Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV, Story of Jesus: Experience the Life of Jesus as One Seamless Story, NIV, The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People, NIV, Beautiful Word Bible Journal, Galatians, Paperback, Comfort Print, NIV, Journal the Word Bible, Double-Column, Red Letter Edition, Comfort Print: Reflect, Take Notes, or Create Art Next to Your Favorite Verses, NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Red Letter Edition: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. 23I will also put her children* to death. It is necessary to look beyond the literal meaning to see that these images mean to convey a sense of Gods wrath at sin in the former case and trust in Gods providential care over the church in the latter. 11 The beast, who was alive and is alive no longer, is at the same time the eighth and one of the seven, and he is going to his destruction. In other words, Revelation is morally necessary. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. WHEN A MAN'S WIDOWED. On the other hand, the stylized figure of the woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12:16), depicting the New Israel, may seem to be a negative stereotype. Not a few non-Catholic divines anxious to make terms with the enemy adopted this attitude. Only ancient, pagan Rome or apostate Jerusalem could possibly be the Whore. The first four reveal the memorable "four horsemen of the apocalypse" who are sent to ravage the earth. Revelation 16. 29Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.. all the churches shall know--implying that these addresses are designed for the catholic Church of all ages and places. Social sharing is permitted. Is Leonard Cohens Hallelujah a Christian Song? It may be understood to involve no more than that reason cannot be compelled to admit any religious doctrine or any moral obligation merely because they possess extrinsic guarantees of truth; they must in every case be able to justify their validity on intrinsic grounds. It is only when we start to over-allegorize it or to force its interpretation according to our . The new namemight also be a symbol of the glory that Jesus has given to those who bear the name. A more subtle objection is that urged by Dr. J. Caird, to the effect that every truth that can be partially communicated to the mind by analogies is ultimately capable of being fully grasped by the understanding. New International Version (NIV). 20Yet I hold this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, who teaches and misleads my servants to play the harlot and to eat food sacrificed to idols. By submitting your email address, you understand that you will receive email communications from Bible Gateway, a division of The Zondervan Corporation, 3900 Sparks Drive SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546 USA, including commercial communications and messages from partners of Bible Gateway. +Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004. Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. 2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. Should we call His name Jesus? 2:35; Obad. Christs overwhelming defeat of the kingdom of Satan ushered in the everlasting reign of God (Rev 11:15; 12:10). But is Revelation necessary even in order that man should observe the precepts of the natural law? What is the Significance of the Wise Men's, How Did the Wise Men Know This Was the Messiah and. 17Whoever has ears, let them hear(A) what the Spirit says to the churches. While debated by some, he was most likely . The principal divisions of the Book of Revelation are the following: Copyright 2019-2023 USCCB, please review our Privacy Policy. Daily Readings with Questions for Reflection, RCIA - Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. 1 One of the seven angels that had the seven bowls came to speak to me, and said, 'Come here and I will show you the punishment of the great prostitute who is enthroned beside abundant waters, 2 with whom all the kings of the earth have prostituted themselves, and who has made all the population of the world drunk with the wine of her adultery.'. 1:17; 3:3), the revealing of the sons of . All content on this site is copyrighted. iii). * [2:13:22] Each of the seven letters follows the same pattern: address; description of the exalted Christ; blame and/or praise for the church addressed; threat and/or admonition; final exhortation and promise to all Christians. What you need to know about Sanctification & Glorification. Praying for all. Also, the mountains could be a reference to pagan Rome, yet the Whore could still be a reference to apostate Jerusalem. the world hates you. It also had an outstanding library (the word parchment is derived from its name). Had it been otherwise, the creation would have been imperfect. Douay-Rheims BibleHe that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches: To him that overcometh I will give the hidden manna and will give him a white counter: and in the counter, a new name written, which no man knoweth but he that receiveth it. NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Revelation 2:12-17. These are distinguished into negative and positive criteria. If anyone shall say that no mysteries properly so called are contained in the Divine revelation, but that all the dogmas of the faith can be understood and proved from natural principles by human reason duly cultivatedlet him be anathema., The older (Deist) School of Rationalists denied the possibility of a Divine revelation imposing any laws other than those which natural religion enjoins on man. Sabatier, Esquisse, etc., Bk. For this reason the Church held it necessary to issue special decrees on the subject in the Vatican Council. One such is found in the beneficent effects of the doctrine and in its power to meet even the highest aspirations which man can frame. The Names of Jehovah hidden in Psalm 23! Lord, When Did We See You Hungry or Thirsty or a Stranger or Naked or Ill or in Prison? Those who remain faithful will share in the messianic reign, having authority over nations (Rev 2:2627), and will in fact possess Christ himself (Rev 2:28). April. 7 The angel said to me, 'Do you not understand? iv) the words of Vincent of Lirins: Let understanding science and wisdom [regarding the Churchs doctrine] progress and make large increase in each and in all, in the individual and in the whole Church, as ages and centuries advance: but let it be solely in its own order, retaining, that is, the same dogma, the same sense, the same import (Commonit. (Revelation 17:2, 4; 18:3). One key to Bible study is to carefully consider the context. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! In Revelation 17:3, John sees a woman sitting on a beast, and the beast has seven heads. Revelation - Chapter 17. But we can go beyond a mere critique of the shallow anti-Catholic arguments like Hunts. The mode of communication, however, may be mediate. And I will write upon him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God, and my new name. 200 B.C. Hence the Vatican Council expressly condemns the error of those who teach it to be the only criterion (De Fide Cath., cap. I suggest this because the name of Jesus proclaims His humanity and His divine mission to seek and save the lost. Catholic Living. Rev 2:17 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat . The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCBs) mission is to encounter the mercy of Christ and to accompany His people with joy. The principle is, however, sometimes applied with a less extensive signification. It supposes that the Christian Revelation and the gift of grace are not free gifts from God, but something of which the nature of man is absolutely exigent, and without which it would be incomplete. The seven heads are the seven hills, on which the woman is sitting. iii). Vacant, Etudes Theologiques, I, 572; II, 387). Biblical references. So what might that new name be? You may unsubscribe from Bible Gateways emails at any time. <. I know you cannot stand wicked people, and how you put to the test those who were self-styled apostles, and found them false. Even the most vital truths are called in question and are met by serious objections. The mountains could stand for a series of seven kings, five of whom have already fallen. (In the Catholic Church, the Lord is still on the cross, and Catholics believe that the communion wafer becomes His actual body and blood as it's consumed.) Since Jerusalem had no such line of kings in the first century, this gives us evidence that the Beast (though not the Whore) is Rome. Why would Jesus have a new name? Revelation may be defined as the communication of some truth by God to a rational creature through means which are beyond the ordinary course of nature. He shows how a true and fertile idea is endowed with a vital and assimilative energy of its own, in virtue of which, without undergoing the least substantive change, it attains to an ever completer expression, as the course of time brings it into contact with new aspects of truth or forces it into collision with new errors: the life of the idea is shown to be analogous to an organic development. Of all such representations, unless they are purely illusory, it must hold good that implicitly and in undeveloped form they contain rational thought and therefore thought which human intelligence may ultimately free from its sensuous veil. Since the Whore persecuted apostles and prophets, the Whore must have existed in the first century. 1:19+), John now records "the things which are" Jesus' assessment of the condition of the Seven Churches of Asia at the time John wrote. It is explained by M. Blondel, an eminent member of the Immanentist School, as signifying that nothing can enter into a man which does not proceed from him, and which does not correspond in some manner to an interior need of expansion; and that neither in the sphere of historic facts nor of traditional doctrine, nor of commands imposed by authority, can any truth rank as valid for a man or any precept as obligatory, unless it be in some way autonomous and autochthonous (Lettre sur les exigences, etc., p. 601). Please help us share God's truths and hope in Christ. Babylon is mentioned 287 times in the Scriptures, more than any other city except Jerusalem. 14* Yet I have a few things against you. A literal sword does not come out of the mouth of Jesus, but is symbolic of His words and how they cut sharply and deeply and both ways. . This sword, of course, is only symbolic. Thus Schleiermacher says: We renounce altogether any attempt to demonstrate the truth and the necessity of the Christian religion. The finite types through which the Infinite is made known to it can never under any circumstances lead to more than analogous knowledge. In the face of these objections, it is evident that the question of the possibility of Revelation is at present one of the most vital portions of Christian apologetic. Revelation . These writers regarded natural religion as, so to speak, a political constitution determining the Divine government of the universe, and held that God could only act as its terms prescribed. * I know the slander of those who claim to be Jews and are not, but rather are members of the assembly of Satan.b SORT ORDER: Canonical | Alphabetical Books of the Bible in Canonical Order Old Testament Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Ruth 1 Samue. iv, can. When truth mingled with error is presented to the mind, it often happens that the whole teaching, false and true alike, is believed to have a Divine guarantee, because the soul has recognized and welcomed the truth of some one doctrine, e.g., the Atonement. The criteria of Revelation are either external or internal: (I) External criteria consist in certain signs attached to the revelation as a divine testimony to its truth, e.g., miracles. Thus shall all the churches come to know that I am the searcher of hearts and minds and that I will give each of you what your works deserve.f * [2:13] Satans throne: the reference is to emperor worship and other pagan practices that flourished in Pergamum, perhaps specifically to the white marble altar erected and dedicated to Zeus by Eumenes II (197160 B.C.). Our Price: $17.48. . In Revelation 17 and 18, the fall of Babylon is carefully detailed. Help me get equipped andbe encouraged so I am empowered to know, live, and share my faith. (C) I will also give that person a white stone with a new name(D) written on it, known only to the one who receives it.(E). ii). 26 To anyone who proves victorious, and keeps working for me until the end, I will give the authority over the nations. iii). The formulae it thus frames are our ecclesiastical dogmas. * Delve into the most mysterious book of the Bible with Joann Roa, director of Adult Faith Formation . a. Cardinal Franzelin in his De Divina Traditione et Scriptura (pt. It is a triumph that unfolded in the history of Jesus of Nazareth and continues to unfold in the history of the individual Christian who follows the way of the cross, even, if necessary, to a martyrs death. Will Joe become John? Hidden in the six verses of Psalm 23 are 11 names for Jesus. It is based upon the theory of Immanence and has of recent years been strenuously advocated by certain of the less extreme members of the Modernist School. Lamennais, Pensees Diverses, p. 488). 12 'Write to the angel of the church in Pergamum and say, "Here is the message of the one who has the sharp sword, double-edged: 13 I know where you live, in the place where Satan is enthroned, and that you still hold firmly to my name, and did not disown your faith in me even when my faithful witness, Antipas, was killed among you, where Satan lives. The intelligence of a finite intellect can only penetrate a finite object; it is incapable of comprehending the Infinite. The principal divisions of the Book of Revelation are the following: Prologue (1:1-3) Letters to the Churches of Asia (1:4-3:22) God and the Lamb in Heaven (4:1-5:14) The Seven Seals, Trumpets, and Plagues, with Interludes (6:1-16:21) The Punishment of Babylon and the Destruction of Pagan Nations (17:1-20:15) The New Creation (21:1 .

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