Franciscan Fractal
Contemplating Today’s Culture through the Eyes of St. Francis & the Life of Christ
“A New Revelation”
“See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them as their God; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4
This year’s lectionary cycle (or weekly lessons assigned to be read in church) include a great number of readings from the Book of Revelation. Lent concluded only a month ago, with its arduous struggle to keep up with prayers, fasting, and alms giving. The season of Easter is now upon us with a mortally wounded Jesus walking around alive and making a dizzying array of appearances. Add on an upcoming, mysterious Pentecost offering the Holy Spirit through tongues of fire and sounds of foreign languages, and we have disciples heading for the doors with information overload. Who could comprehend this collage of disparate events in such a short period of time?
We now have the lectionary reading from the Book of Revelation added onto what has already been an overwhelming season. As though the passion and resurrection were not enough, we are presented with what many call a “prophecy” and “futuristic” coming of Christ at the end of time. This time in the readings the images, colors, sounds, and numbers are all mixed up. Perhaps, what is needed is to do a reality check.
The Book of Revelation has been mischaracterized over the last 200 years, with the introduction of “dispensationalism” and “futurism” by John Nelson Darby (1800 - 1882), an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher and prior Anglican Priest. Much of his work was based upon Revelation, and outlining how the end-times will unfold with the eventual triumph of good over evil. Dispensationalism held that God has revealed himself in various ways (often in a literal sense) to different people throughout history. God’s covenant with Israel stood apart from his covenant with the Christian church.
In Dispensationalism, when Christ returns, he will do so just before (or after) a thousand-year reign of peace on the earth. There will also be a time of tribulation for the world. At Christ’s return, a phenomenon called the “rapture” will occur. In the “rapture,” those who are faithful to Christ will be caught up into the heavens to meet Christ. This view became popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide distribution of the Scofield Reference Bible. Needless to say, there is no evidence for the particular unfolding of Christ’s second coming anywhere in Scripture.
It is important to remember that the Book of Revelation was written during a time of intense persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. The churches to which the book of Revelation was addressed were facing severe trials and tribulations, and the Book was intended to provide the churches with hope and encouragement. The visions and prophecies contained in the Book reassured the early Christians that God was in control of history, and that the ultimate victory belonged to Christ.
In essence, the Book of Revelation conveys deep and complex truths about the nature of spiritual warfare, the final triumph of good over evil, and the absolute reign of God over all things. As a book of prophecy about the details of a second coming, mainline church bodies have denounced this premise including the Roman Catholics, Anglicans, Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians.
In the days ahead, use the readings from the Book of Revelation as a source of strength and comfort, rather than worrying about the return of Christ. God dwells with us as God does with everyone . . . at all times, and in all places, and always without fail. Christ is the one who wipes away all of our tears . . . every day . . . and in every way. And, our comfort lies in the promise that mourning and crying and pain, and even death, will be no more! These are the things that are indeed promised to us. Let worry pass away.
Prayers and Blessings,
Fr. John
