Rapture: The End-Times Error That Leaves the Bible Behind (43 page)

The entire passage revolves around the actions of these 144,000 who are “redeemed from the land.” The 144,000 “sing a new song” along with the twenty-four elders (5:9; 14:3). This song is the battle strategy of the Child.

“Wait a second,” you think. “What kind of battle strategy is this?”

It does seem ludicrous! After all, the dragon has two beasts of power that deceive, imprison, and kill their opponents. How could it be that the entire battle strategy of the Child involves nothing more than a choir of virgins singing a song so unsingable that “no one [else] could learn” it (14:3)? This is not what we expected. We were promised a “rod of iron” from this Child. Where is it? It is nice that the chaste in this choir are “spotless,” and it is wonderful that they do not “lie,” but this is a
battle with a dragon
(14:5)!

The strategy of God has always been a mystery to those who think like the dragon. In a passage with Messianic overtones, Zechariah is told, “This is the word of the Lord.… Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts” (Zech. 4:6). The dragon’s mindset has so permeated our modern culture that our minds reel under the full implication of these words.

That greatest of the prophets, Elijah, was in a battle with the powerful and evil queen Jezebel. He went into the wilderness to hide in a cave near Mount Horeb. There God promised to come to Elijah: “Behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains … but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still, small voice” (1 Kings 19:11–12). No matter what the age, God is not found in power, but in the still, small voice speaking Truth.

But the song these virgins sing is special. The song that the celibate 144,000 sing is the Eucharist. We touched briefly on this in the throne room of the initial vision; let us now consider it more closely.

The elders “sang a new song” (5:9), and the chaste “sing a new song” (14:3). This is the eucharistic song of Heaven. It was not a part of the Old Covenant, but is integral to the New. When we sing “holy, holy, holy,” we join all the choirs of saints and of angels in Heaven (4:8).

The connection to the Eucharist becomes apparent when we investigate the Greek words used by St. John. The verb form
sang
is a translation of the Greek word
ado
, and the noun form
song
is from the word
ode
. These Greek words are the source of our English word
ode
.

Webster’s Dictionary defines
ode
as “a poem suitable for singing that is addressed to some person and characterized by lofty feeling and dignified style.” Think about that. That is a pretty good description of the Mass.

Other than the three times we see them in The Apocalypse,
ado
and
ode
are used only twice elsewhere in the New Testament: in Ephesians 5:19 and Colossians 3:16, where they are linked to
eucharisteo
. This is the root of our word
Eucharist
, meaning “thanksgiving.”

Where does this lead us? “Singing an ode” is a specialized phrase in the New Testament that is linked by context to the thanksgiving we give to God in the Mass, the Eucharist. Our thanksgiving is due to the salvation Christ won for us when He “wast slain” (5:9).

We will encounter one more case of people singing an ode in the next vision, and they will also refer to the thanksgiving we give to God in the worship of the Mass.

The reason the initial vision identifies the Lion with a slain Lamb becomes apparent: it is an obvious reference to the sacrifice of the Passion. Every Catholic should know that the Church celebrates and joins itself to that ultimate sacrifice in the unbloody Sacrifice of the Mass.

Now
it makes sense why the first throne-room scene makes a point of the presence of “priests” (5:10). This Kingdom of God on earth requires priests. Without priests, there is no sacrifice of the Mass. The priest is an essential element in bringing the sacrament of the Eucharist into our daily lives. Our conclusion:
The Eucharist
is the battle strategy of the Lamb.
The Eucharist
proclaims the mystery of the gospel; it is the center of the New Covenant Kingdom.

This sacrament strengthens our souls for our battles with the dragon. It proclaims the mystery of the one spiritual Kingdom of Jew and Gentile for the entire world to see. It turns our hearts toward home, our eternal home, by reminding our eye of faith that what we see is not always what we get. It reminds us that there is a home for us that will be everlasting, although it is now unseen. It strengthens us for the pilgrimage. It makes the Truth, which is the Lion’s primary weapon, take root in our lives. But most of all, it fulfills the promise of Christ in the seventh letter: “If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me” (3:20).

Now the strategy of the Child starts to unfold. The eucharistic song of these chaste, holy martyrs has stirred three angels. In the midst of the 144,000 singing virgins, an angel announces, “Fear God and give Him glory, for the hour of His judgment has come” (14:7). Perhaps there is more power in this song than the dragon thinks.

The first angel announces the “eternal gospel.” What is the eternal gospel? “Fear God and give Him glory.… Worship Him who made Heaven and earth” (14:7). The gospel revolves around God and His glory, not our wonderful plans and achievements.

We are to give God glory because “the hour of His judgment has come” (14:7). At this point, the angel is not announcing the final, general judgment that all humanity will undergo at the end of time. That must wait until the vision of From Here to Eternity (ch. 19). The judgment this angel announces will descend on those who persecuted the Church in the first century, in answer to the martyrs under the altar who have been pleading for justice since the seals in the initial vision. This judgment occurred in 70 A.D.

We are confirmed in this assessment when we read a few verses later, “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from henceforth” (14:13). If this judgment were the final event of history, there would be no people to die “henceforth.” In 21:4 we read that after the last judgment, “death shall be no more.” We are not at that point yet. Death will be conquered, but we must keep in mind that death is “the last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Cor. 15:26).

The second angel informs us of the object of God’s judgment: “Babylon.” And the success of this judgment is assured. The angel announces, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great” (14:8 and Isa. 21:9). This is not, then, the final judgment of all humanity.

The identity of this city, “Babylon,” is hotly contested. It is certainly not the one in Iraq, which had been a ruin for hundreds of years before The Apocalypse was written. That Babylon had already been judged by God. “Babylon” is a code for another city, a city that has already appeared in the initial vision.

Like “Sodom and Egypt” in the initial vision, “Babylon” is a code name for Jerusalem, a city too politically dangerous for St. John to mention by name. In The Apocalypse, “that great city” always refers to Jerusalem (18:10, 16, 19). We should expect that. After all, the destruction of Jerusalem’s Temple is what reveals the mystery of the scroll. These visions are a recapitulation of that initial vision. Because of the tremendous civil turbulence engulfing Jerusalem in 68 A.D., St. John disguises the city’s identity to protect his readers from automatic persecution if they were to be discovered reading The Apocalypse.

Why would Babylon be chosen as a symbol of first-century Jerusalem? We examined it already in “Belshazzar’s folly” in Daniel. The ruler of Babylon, Belshazzar, had defiled God’s holy Temple vessels by a profane use. God struck the city with judgment by the invasion of the Persian army. In code-naming Jerusalem “Babylon,” St. John points out another city about to endure the judgment of God because of its disdain for God’s holiness. She was guilty of “impure passion,” another expression for spiritual harlotry, or idol worship (14:8). St. John anticipated this issue in the seven letters to the churches. Jerusalem’s complicity in the worship of the sea-beast is about to bring its consequences.

Babylon was judged by God for blasphemy after a prophetic proclamation. That pronouncement was announced via “the hand from God’s presence” (Dan. 5). Yet the instrument of that judgment was the Persian army. God Himself never physically appeared in Babylon (GR6).

In 70 A.D., the new Babylon, Jerusalem, was also judged by God after a prophetic proclamation by the Hand of God. Jesus Himself spoke Jerusalem’s doom in the Olivet Discourse and elsewhere. The instrument of that judgment was once again an army, this time from Rome.

Now the third angel appears with an urgent warning for Christians, complementing the message of the first angel, which is the eternal gospel. That angel commanded the worship of God; this angel gives them a choice. If Christians do not resist emperor worship, which is worship of the power of the dragon, they will bear the same consequences as Jerusalem. These consequences are of eternal import: “The smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest, day or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name” (14:11).

But those who endure and “keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” will partake of eternal bliss (14:12). “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth” (14:13). While the persecuted Christians may find that earthly power and its benefits elude them in this life, when they die, they will “rest from their labors, and their works do follow them” (14:13).

This is our hope. It is also our choice: power now or bliss for eternity. This is the battle strategy of the Lamb, to
tell us the Truth about eternity
. There is no better vehicle for this Truth than the Eucharist. While the dragon promises the earthly perks of success through power, the Lamb assures us that we will reap our just reward in eternity. The benefits of following the Lamb flow for all eternity.

Make no mistake: this vision is not about boring theology. The application of these principles is new and fresh for every generation. Our culture is very “dragonish,” tempting us to use deceit and power to obtain wealth and pleasure now. In countless decisions every day, we each must choose to worship the power of the dragon or to answer the “call for the endurance and faith of the saints” (13:10; 14:12).

St. John knows it is not an easy choice. But God will not tinker with our free will as the dragon would. The dragon will trick us with deceit and coerce us with power. God’s strategy is simply to show the world the Truth. Christ is pictured in The Apocalypse with a sharp sword coming from His mouth. That is Christ’s weapon, the Truth of God. You will live for all eternity with the consequences of your choices.

The three messages of the three angels reflect the message of Jesus. First, Christians must fear and obey God. Second, Jerusalem will fall in order to vindicate the eternal power of the risen Christ. Third, all men will be eternally judged in the end for their deeds.

Can you hear the dragon snickering at all this? “Sure, sure,” he laughs. “But how do you really
know
that an eternal reward awaits you? I promise you rewards in
this
life. You cannot be
certain
Christ can keep His promises until it is too late. You will be already dead!”

That is a very good question.
How do we know?

That brings us to the second half of the Child’s strategy. Christ anticipated Satan’s deception. The early Church taught that one reason we could trust Jesus for our eternal reward is that He kept His promises concerning the Temple in the Olivet Discourse. We know He is capable of an eternal judgment at the final eschaton because He judged His executioners within the generation that He predicted He would. Anyone who can reach back from the other side of the grave to keep His promises and judge His enemies must be God. The judgment upon the Temple is the proof of Christ’s claim that we will be judged in eternity!

Two more angels appear to illustrate this. The first angel urges Christ to gather His followers from the land before judgment strikes. “One like a Son of man” reaches with a sharp sickle into the land because “the harvest of the land is fully ripe” (14:14–15). We have been waiting for just this announcement. Earlier, God had been waiting for more martyrs and Jewish believers before He would answer their pleas for justice (6:11; 7:3). The pleas came from the souls under the altar in the initial vision. Now the angel tells the “Son of man” that the sheaves are ripe and the time for judgment is ready. But before the judgment strikes Jerusalem, Christ Himself will remove His followers from harm’s way. As we saw in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus met this responsibility: He warned them, they fled, and they were spared.

The second angel gathers, not wheat for protection, but grapes for crushing in the “winepress of the wrath of God” (14:19). The judgment on the Sanhedrin is about to commence. When it comes, it substantiates the claims of Christ. He has the right to promise His faithful an eternal reward because He really is the “Son of man.” He rose from the dead and judged His accusers. “The treading of the winepress is the retribution” (
COA
, XIV). As the Son of man, He first protects His own. Then He proceeds with the judgment promised to His accusers.