Revelation 13

13 And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems upon its horns and a blasphemous name upon its heads. 2And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear's, and its mouth was like a lion's mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. 3One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth followed the beast with wonder. 4Men worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?" 5And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months; 6it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. 7Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, 8and all who dwell on earth will worship it, every one whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain. 9If any one has an ear, let him hear: 10If any one is to be taken captive, to captivity he goes; if any one slays with the sword, with the sword must he be slain. Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints.

For this chapter, I defer to Scott Hahn's descriptions of the beasts and the Mark of the Beast, and will add my own comments only sparingly.

THE FIRST BEAST
..Unsuccessful in his assaults on the woman and her son, the dragon returns to attack her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. The dragon summons his own seed, two dreadful beasts. Oddly enough, amid all the hopeful and awe-inspiring images of the Apocalypse, these hideous monsters seem to spark the most interest. Moviemakers and televangelists dwell longer, by far, on 666 than on the glassy sea or the Lion of Judah.
..I feel an urgency to impress upon you the reality of the beasts. They are symbols, but they're not just symbols. They are real spiritual beings, members of the satanic "lowerarchy," demonic persons who have controlled and corrupted the political destiny of nations. John describes two ugly beasts. But I believe the beasts he saw were much more horrible than his description.
..In much of Revelation--but especially chapters 4 and 5--John describes the realities behind the Mass. Now, he does the same with sin and evil. Just as our actions in the liturgy are united with unseen heavenly things, so are our sinful deeds attached to infernal wickedness. In the Mass, what does God want to make us? A kingdom of priests who reign through their sacrificial offerings. On the other hand, what does Satan want to accomplish through the beasts? He wants to subvert God's plan by corrupting both kingdom and priesthood. Thus, John shows us, first, the demon that corrupts government authority, the state. Next, he reveals the demon of corrupt religious authority.
..First beasts first: from the sea arises a hideous seven-headed, ten-horned monster, a terrifying combination of leopard, lion, and bear. The horns symbolise power; the diadems (or crowns), kingship. Both its power and its kingship it receives from the dragon. We would err, however, if we identified this beast with monarchy in general. No, the beast represents corrupt political authority of any sort.
..It's tempting, too, to identify the beast exclusively with Rome, or with the Herodian dynasty that Rome maintained in the Holy Land. Certainly the Rome of John's day typified the sort of government represented by the beast. But the beast itself does not allow for such a simple identification. It's actually a combination of all four of the beasts from a vision of the Old Testament prophet Daniel (see Dan 7). I follow the Church Fathers, who saw Daniel's beasts pointing to four gentile empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome--all of whom persecuted God's people before the Messiah's coming.
..Revelation's seven-headed beast, then, stands for all corrupted political power. For it's a human impulse to look upon the power of the state as the greatest power on earth and say, like the people in the Apocalypse, "Who can fight against it?" Out of fear for this power--or desire for a piece of the action--people constantly compromise themselves and worship the dragon and the beast. History's most blatant example of a human institution usurping God's prerogatives is Rome and its Caesars. They literally demanded the worship that belongs to God alone. And they made war on the saints, instigating bloody persecutions of those who would not worship the emperor.
..Again, however, I must emphasize that the beast is not only Rome, or Rome's puppet, the Herodians. The beast refers also to any corrupt government, any state that puts itself above God's covenant order. More than that, the beast represents the corrupting spiritual force behind these institutions. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 80-82.)

Before we move on, I just wanted to briefly comment on verse 8. All the world will worship this first beast, except those who are written in the Lamb's book of Life. According to the RSV used here, as well as the New Jerusalem Bible that I use, tell us that those whose names are in the Sacrificial Lamb's book of life, have been recorded since before the foundation of the world, emphasising the soveriegn election of God, who has predestined them to grace. However, other translations, such as the King James Version and the Douay-Rheims, read "And all that dwell upon the earth adored him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb which was slain from the beginning of the world" (D-R), emphasising the eternal sacrifice of the Lamb (from heaven's perspective). This is also the wording that St. Jerome used in the Latin Vulgate, and the way that the words themselves are ordered in the original Greek. As such, we have a double truth here: God has predestined many to receive His Grace, and those who persevere in that have no need to fear the Beast (verse 10). Second, Christ's sacrifice is eternal, extending before the past began and beyond the end of time. This is why John portrays Him throughout Revelation as the Slain Lamb. And this is how, in the Eucharist, we are participating in that selfsame sacrifice on the Cross, represented to us in the Mass!

11Then I saw another beast which rose out of the earth; it had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. 12It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. 13It works great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in the sight of men; 14and by the signs which it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth, bidding them make an image for the beast which was wounded by the sword and yet lived; 15and it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast so that the image of the beast should even speak, and to cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. 16Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.
18This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Again, Scott Hahn writes about the Second Beast:

THE SECOND BEAST
..This beast comes from the earth and has horns like a lamb. The lamb imagery is jarring, as we've come by now to associate it with sacred things. John's use of it, I believe, is intentional, for I believe that this beast is meant to suggest the corrupted priesthood in first-century Jerusalem.
..The initial clue is that this beast comes out of "the earth," which in the original Greek could also mean "the land" or "the country," as opposed to "the sea," which brings forth the gentile beasts (see Dan 7). Further, John was likely bearing witness to the ultimate compromise of priestly authority, which had occurred only a few years before. In a dramatic historical moment, religious authority had given its allegiance to corrupt government authority instead of God. Jesus, the Lamb of God, High King and High Priest, stood before Pontius Pilate and the chief priests of the Jews. Pilate said to the Jews, "Here is your king!" They cried out, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him!" Pilate replied, "Shall I crucify your king?" The chief priests answered, "We have no king but Caesar" (see Jn 19:15). Indeed, it was the high priest himself, Caiaphas, who first spoke of Jesus' sacrifice as politically "expedient" for the people (see Jn 11:47-52).
..So they rejected Christ and elevated Caesar. They rejected the Lamb and worshiped the beast. Certainly Caesar was the government's ruler and as such deserved respect (see Lk 20:21-25). But Caesar wanted more than respect. He demanded sacrificial worship, which the chief priests gave him when they handed over the Lamb of God.
..The beast resembles a lamb in some superficial features. We see that everything he does is in mimicry and mockery of the Lamb's saving work. The Lamb stands as though it had been slain; the beast receives a mortal wound, but recovers. God enthrones the Lamb; the dragon enthrones the beast. Those who worship the Lamb receive His sign on hteir foreheads (Rev 7:2-4); those who worship the beast wear the mark of the beast.
..Which brings us to the difficult question: What is the mark of the beast? John tells us that it is the name of the beast, or the number of its name. What is that? John answers in a riddle: "This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six" (Rev 13:18).
..One one level, the number may represent the Roman Emperor Nero, whose name transliterated into Hebrew indeed has the value 666. Yet there are many other, or additional, possibilities. Consider that 666 was the number of gold talents King Solomon required from the nations yearly (see 1 Kgs 10). Consider also that Solomon was the first priest-king since Melchizedek (see Ps 110). Moreover, John says that discerning the identity of the beast "calls for wisdom," which some interpreters have seen as another reference to Solomon, who was renowned for his wisdom.
..Finally, 666 can be interpreted as a degredation of the number seven, which, in Israel's tradition, represented perfection, holiness, and the covenant. The seventh day, for example, was declared holy by God and set aside for rest and worship. Work was done in six days; it was sanctified, however, in the sacrificial worship represented by the seventh day. The number "666," then, represents a man stalled in the sixth day, serving the beast who concerns himself with buying and selling (see Rev 13:17) without rest for worship. Though work is holy, it becomes evil when man refuses to offer it to God.
..Yet we should be clear about something. This interpretation should not lead any Christian to justify anti-Semitism. The Book of Revelation overwhelmingly demonstrates the dignity of Israel--its Temple, its prophets, its covenants. The Apocalypse should rather lead us to a greater appreciation for our heritage in Israel--and to a sober consideration of our own accountability before God. How well are we living according to our covenant with God? How faithful are we to our priesthood? The book stands as a warning to all of us.
..The beastly message is this: we are fighting spiritual forces: immense depraved, malevolent forces. If we had to fight them alone, we'd be trounced. But here's good news: there is a way we can hope to overcome. The solution has to match the problem, spiritual force for spiritual force, immense beauty for immense ugliness, holiness for depravity, love for malevolence. The solution is the Mass, when heaven touches down to save an earth under siege. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 82-85)

Amen!

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Revelation 12

11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.
12And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; 2she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.

Here we have a startling development! Liturgically, we move into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, preceded by the blowing of the Seventh Trumpet. John sees the Heavenly Sanctuary open, and, wonder of wonders, there is the Ark of the Covenant, displayed with lightning and thunder! Perhaps to us, the significance is lost, but this Ark was the most holy relique in all of Judaism. But it had not been seen in more than 500 years, because at the time of the Babylonian Captivity, the prophet Jeremiah had hidden it away in the wilderness (2 Maccabees 2:1-8). "The place is to remain unknown," he said, "unitl God gathers his people together again and shows them his mercy" (v.7, NJB). As such, St. John's revelation of the Ark of the Covenant is of monumental importance, and yet, he seems to spend just one verse on it before changing the subject entirely.

The truth is, he does not change the subject at all, in turning his attention to The Woman. The Ark seen in Heaven, and the woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars are one and the same. Who is this Woman? John describes her as pregnant and in labour, later saying that she gives birth to a child who would rule the nations with an iron sceptre--a Messianic reference to Psalm 2:9. The Child, then, is Jesus. The Woman is His Mother, Mary. Scott Hahn writes:

...When John describes the woman, he is describing the ark--of the New Covenant. And who is the woman? She is the one who gives birth to the male child Who will rule the nations. The child is Jesus; His mother is Mary.
What made the original ark so holy? Not the gold that coated the outside, but hte Ten Commandments inside--the Law that had been inscribed by the finger of God on tablets of stone. What else was inside? Manna, the miracle bread that fed the people in thier pilgrimage through the wasteland; Aaron's rod that blossomed as a sign of his office as high priest (see Nm 17).
What makes the new ark holy? The old ark contained the word of God written in stone; Mary contained in her womb the Word of God Who became man and dwelt among us. The ark contained manna; Mary contained the living bread come down from heaven. The ark contained the rod of the high priest Aaron; Mary's womb contained the eternal high priest, Jesus Christ. In the heavenly temple, the Word of God is Jesus, and the ark in whom He resides is Mary, His mother. (The Lamb's Supper, pp. 77-78)

We are briefly seeing the Heavenly perspective on Salvation History from Christmas onward.

3And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. 4His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth; 5she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The Dragon is Satan. seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads represent his pretentions to perfection, completeness, and authority. The third of the stars of heaven represent the angelic warriors who rebelled with Satan. Verses 5-6 recall the ancient first prophecy of the Messiah in Genesis 3:15:

'I shall put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
it wiil bruise your head
and you will strike its heel' (NJB).

Satan's plans to destroy the Messiah fail, ultimately resulting in his own destruction, while the Child and the Woman are kept safe.

7Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!"

Going back to the Ark of the Covenant parallel for just a moment, historically, according to the Old Testament, the priests would carry the Ark into battle, and God would fight for His people. Here again we see the Ark in the context of war--the greatest of wars, between Heaven and Hell. Michael, the defender of Israel, and his heavenly armies route Satan and his legions, and cast them out of Heaven. This is not simply "Heaven" as in God's Home, but the Kingdom of Heaven, the Church. While we still must persevere in fighting against Satan and evil, the victory is won, and God has the Kingdom, Christ has the power, and we have the duty to spread that Kingdom throughout the earth. The Battle was won through by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. We must persevere in that victory.

13And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. 14But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time. 15The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood. 16But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth. 17Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea.

Having been defeated by God and His armies, Satan turns his attentions to the Church, trying to destroy the woman (but all of nature is at God's command, and He fights for us), and to her offspring: those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. We are the sons and daughters of Mary. Scott Hahn again writes:

Others object that the woman cannot be Mary because the woman in Revelation has other offspring, and the Church teaches that Mary was perpetually virgin. But Scripture often uses the term "offspring" (in Greek, sperma to describe one's spiritual descendants. The children of Mary, her spiritual offspring, are those "who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus (Rev 12:17). We are the other offspring of the woman. We are the children of Mary.
Thus Revelation also portrays Mary as the "New Eve," mother of all the living. I the Garden of Eden, God promised to "put enmity" between Satan, the ancient serpent, and Eve--and between Satan's "seed and her seed" (Gen 3:15). Now, in the Apocalypse, we see the climax of this enmity. The seed of the new woman, Mary, is the male son, Jesus Christ, Who comes to defeat the serpent (in Hebrew, the same word, nahash, can apply to both dragon and serpent).
This is the overwhelming teaching of the Fathers, Doctors, saints and popes of the Church, both ancient and modern. It is the teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (see no. 1138).... Pope St. Pius X spoke eloquently for the Tradition in his encyclical letter Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum:

Everyone knows that this woman signified the Virgin Mary.... John therefore saw the Most Holy Mother of God already in eternal happiness, yet travailing in a mysterious childbirth. What childbirth was it? Surely it was the birth of us who, still in exile, are yet to be generated to the perfect charity of God, and to eternal happiness.

(The Lamb's Supper pp.79-80.)

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Revelation 11

11 Then I was given a measuring rod like a staff, and I was told: "Rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, 2but do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample over the holy city for forty-two months. 3And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth." 4These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. 5And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. 6They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. 7And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, 8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. 9For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, 10and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth.

Those who date the book of Revelation as preceding the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 tend to do so primarily based on verse 1 of this chapter, saying that if the temple had been destroyed, John would not have been able to measure it. However, these people seem to me to fail to take into account the fact that, according to John himself, he was exiled on the Island of Patmos, and would not have been able to measure the Temple, anyway.

Again, though, John uses the Sack of Jerusalem as a type of the end judgement of the world. The two witnesses mentioned have sparked much debate, as to their identities. John suggests their identities by the powers that are attributed to them--turning water into blood and calling down plagues: Moses. Shutting up the sky and calling down fire from heaven: Elijah. These together testify to the sins of the world and the just judgement of God. Verse 4 calls them the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth, an allusion to Zechariah 4:1-14.

Moses and Elijah (who appear talking to Jesus during His transfiguration, Matthew 17), typify the Law and the Prophets. Thus, their appearance and witness are not specifically literal, especially in the case of the original sack of Jerusalem. However, the Scriptural warnings about keeping the Law contianed in their Scriptures, which they forsook when they rejected and killed the Messiah, proclaimed to them the just judgement they received. Will Moses and Elijah literally return in the end times? That remains to be seen. However, it seems likely that they will, somehow (they did, after all, appear with Jesus). It says that the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will war with them and kill them. We will meet this beast in chapter 13. The deaths of the two witnesses are met with celebration and rejoicing that almost resembles Christmas! The world believes that the destruction of the Word of God brings freedom, and Satan counterfeits true joy. John calls the city where they are killed by the symbolic names of Sodom and Egypt--two great historic cities that were in opposition to God's plan, and so were judged. Then John lets us know the literal identity of the city, as being where Jesus was crucified. The indictment is that Jerusalem itself had opposed God's plan in killing the Messiah, and the Roman destruction of her was God's judgement. Again, Jerusalem stands as a type for the world that is in opposition to God.

11But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, "Come up hither!" And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud. 13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
14The second woe has passed; behold, the third woe is soon to come.

God's Word cannot be silenced. Moses and Elijah are resurrected, and then taken back up to Heaven--so that everyone could see! After this, there is an earthquake that kills 7000 people. Again, it is a symbolic number--7, symbolising perfection, and magnified by 1000. Hence, a lot of people, but the perfect amount at this time. God again is in control of every detail. Now, witnessing the witnesses come back to life and ascend to Heaven, and surviving the earthquake, the remaining people, struck with fear, give glory to God. However, this giving of glory is only temporary, as we shall see in chapter 13.

15Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever." 16And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, 17saying, "We give thanks to thee, Lord God Almighty, who art and who wast, that thou hast taken thy great power and begun to reign. 18The nations raged, but thy wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding thy servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear thy name, both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth."

The seventh trumpet is blown, and Heaven exults that the Kingdom of the World is ruled by God and Christ! Looking at Revelation through the eyes of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word has ended, and the Liturgy of the Eucharist is about to begin.

I do realise that I have omitted Revelation 11:19. This was intentional, because it fits better as a part of verse 12, and will be commented on in that chapter.

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Revelation 10

10 Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire. 2He had a little scroll open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the land, 3and called out with a loud voice, like a lion roaring; when he called out, the seven thunders sounded. 4And when the seven thunders had sounded, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down." 5And the angel whom I saw standing on sea and land lifted up his right hand to heaven 6and swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it, that there should be no more delay, 7but that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled.

Before the sounding of the Seventh Trumpet, we have a mighty angel descend from Heaven. Who is this angel? Though He is called an angel, it is Jesus Himself. We see this based on John's description of Him. He is wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. The cloud alludes to the glory of God (cf. 1 Kings 8:10-11; Matthew 17:1-8, esp. v. 5). By the rainbow, we see that even as God judges the world, He is still mindful of His covenant (cf. Genesis 9:12-17). His face like the sun and legs like pillars of fire recall John's description of Jesus from the first chapter. His feet, one on land and one on the sea, signify His authority over all of creation. His voice like a lion roaring, is an allusion to Amos 1:2 and 3:8, and confirm that this angel is indeed Jesus Himself:

Yahweh roars from Zion,
and makes Himself heard from Jerusalem...(Amos 1:2, NJB).

The Lion roars: who is not afraid?
Lord Yahweh has spoken: who will not prophesy? (Amos 3:8, NJB)

This allusion also sets up the exchange between John and Jesus in the next verses below. John is commanded not to reveal what the seven thunders proclaimed, and then Jesus swears that now is the time of judgement (another allusion, to Deuteronomy 32:40, where God swears to judge those who refuse to obey His Covenant).

8Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, "Go, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land." 9So I went to the angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, "Take it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth." 10And I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I had eaten it my stomach was made bitter. 11And I was told, "You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings."

John is instructed to take the open scroll (the same scroll that only the Lamb who was Slain was worthy to open?) and to eat it, alluding to a similar command from God to the prophet Ezekiel in Ezekiel 3:1-13. To eat the scroll is to know and to own the message. It tastes like honey, but turns the stomach--hearing a word from God is wonderful and exciting: God has spoken, to me! But the burden to proclaim that message is a heavy one--especially when it is a message of judgement that people will not want to hear. And this is just what the scroll signified. John now has to prophesy again, about the fate of the world.

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Revelation 9

9 And the fifth angel blew his trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to earth, and he was given the key of the shaft of the bottomless pit; 2he opened the shaft of the bottomless pit, and from the shaft rose smoke like the smoke of a great furnace, and the sun and the air were darkened with the smoke from the shaft. 3Then from the smoke came locusts on the earth, and they were given power like the power of scorpions of the earth; 4they were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any green growth or any tree, but only those of mankind who have not the seal of God upon their foreheads; 5they were allowed to torture them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torture was like the torture of a scorpion, when it stings a man. 6And in those days men will seek death and will not find it; they will long to die, and death will fly from them.

It would seem that the star fallen from heaven to earth is possibly Satan, who is able to unleash his demons upon the earth. Notably, even Satan's destructive, evil power is marked and checked by God's command. Satan cannot go one step beyond what God Himself permits.

Notably, these locust-like creatures are not permitted to harm or attack those who are marked with the sign of the Cross, and even those whom they can attack, they are not permitted to kill them. No matter what destruction and devastation in these judgements, God is always in control.

7In appearance the locusts were like horses arrayed for battle; on their heads were what looked like crowns of gold; their faces were like human faces, 8their hair like women's hair, and their teeth like lions' teeth; 9they had scales like iron breastplates, and the noise of their wings was like the noise of many chariots with horses rushing into battle. 10They have tails like scorpions, and stings, and their power of hurting men for five months lies in their tails. 11They have as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
12The first woe has passed; behold, two woes are still to come.

The army of demon-locusts are described symbolically, with allusions to the prophet Joel's description of the plague of locusts that smote Israel in chapters 1 and 2 of his book.

Horses arrayed for battle: They are organised and fearsome.
What looked like crowns of gold: They pretend to authority, but it only appears true.
Their faces were like human faces: They are intelligent.
Hair like women's hair: They are seductive in their ways.
Teeth like lions' teeth: Behind the intelligence and seductive beauty is death and destruction. Falling for their allure leads to pain.

Their leader is Apollyon or Abaddon, which means "Destroyer." And yet again, because of God's sovereignty and mercy, he cannot destroy, but only torture for five months.

13Then the sixth angel blew his trumpet, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar before God, 14saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, "Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates." 15So the four angels were released, who had been held ready for the hour, the day, the month, and the year, to kill a third of mankind. 16The number of the troops of cavalry was twice ten thousand times ten thousand; I heard their number. 17And this was how I saw the horses in my vision: the riders wore breastplates the color of fire and of sapphire and of sulphur, and the heads of the horses were like lions' heads, and fire and smoke and sulphur issued from their mouths. 18By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed, by the fire and smoke and sulphur issuing from their mouths. 19For the power of the horses is in their mouths and in their tails; their tails are like serpents, with heads, and by means of them they wound. 20The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot either see or hear or walk; 21nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their immorality or their thefts.

The 6th judgement is of an army of avenging angels who kill a third of the people of the earth. These angels have been set for the exact moment of their release--it has all been planned beforehand. God does not miss a detail. This time, it does not mention whether this third of the human race includes those who are marked with the Cross or not. It is possible to assume God's ongoing protection of His people, but at the same time, we recognise that if not, those who die in this plague will reign forever afterward, and their death only hastens their victory.

The army is described as being powerful and resplendent.

The people who survive, in verses 20-21, refuse even after all this, to repent of their wickedness, which is primarily that of idolatry, but also, with it, murder, thievery, witchcraft, and sexual immorality. That John mentions this fact shows us a) that their judgement is just, and b) that even now, God is merciful and they could repent if they chose. But just like Pharaoh in Exodus, they harden their hearts against the evident power of God.

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Revelation 8

8 When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.

Again, we see Revelation take on a very Liturgical format.

As well, we see that contained within the seventh seal, there is the seven-fold trumpet judgement, and the seventh trumpet brings about the seven bowl judgements.

2Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar before the throne; 4and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel before God. 5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth; and there were peals of thunder, voices, flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.

More liturgical action, as the angel mingles the prayers of the saints with heavenly incense, and presents them before God. Thus we have Scriptural support for the mediation of saints and angels through their prayers and actions. We also see that these prayers are effective, and used by God to bring about His justice!

6Now the seven angels who had the seven trumpets made ready to blow them. 7The first angel blew his trumpet, and there followed hail and fire, mixed with blood, which fell on the earth; and a third of the earth was burnt up, and a third of the trees were burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8The second angel blew his trumpet, and something like a great mountain, burning with fire, was thrown into the sea; 9and a third of the sea became blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. 10The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the fountains of water. 11The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died of the water, because it was made bitter. 12The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light was darkened; a third of the day was kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night.

Again, in these natural disasters and intense devastation, we see the fall of Jerusalem being symbolically depicted. Through it, we also see the end of the world and the last judgement. While the imagery is frighteningly violent, still throughout we recognise both the justice and the mercy of God. Justice: knowing that those who are being punished deserve their fate for their rebellion. Mercy: because even now, God calls them to repentance (cf. Revelation 9:20-21)!

13Then I looked, and I heard an eagle crying with a loud voice, as it flew in midheaven, "Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, at the blasts of the other trumpets which the three angels are about to blow!"

The eagle warns that things are only going to get worse, and implicitly gives a call for repentance. Interestingly, in Christian iconography, John's Gospel was always represented by an eagle.

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Revelation 7

7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. 2Then I saw another angel ascend from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3saying, "Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God upon their foreheads."

Just before the Seventh Seal is broken, John interjects with a description of the positive--namely, the loving care that God takes for those who have been faithful to His Word. This is the remnant referred to in our comments on Chapter 6 verse 8. First, we see God's absolute control over the world. Next, we see His restraint. He holds back the coming judgement so that His people can be sealed. What is this seal? It is an allusion to Ezekiel 9:4: "And Yahweh said to him, 'Go all through the city, all through Jerusalem, and mark a cross on the foreheads of all who grieve and lament over all the loathsome practices in it'" (NJB). The seal is the sign of the Cross! And this seal was prophesied by Ezekiel centuries beforehand! At our baptisms and our confirmations, the priest traced in oil the sign of the cross on our foreheads, sealing us into God's covenant! This is true of the early Christians as well. Chapters 8-9 of Revelation are again describing the devastation of Jerusalem (and typologically prophesying the end Judgement), and here, in Chapter 7, God is preparing His people to come through (compare again, Ezekiel chapter 9).

4And I heard the number of the sealed, a hundred and forty-four thousand sealed, out of every tribe of the sons of Israel,

5twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Judah,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Reuben,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Gad,
6twelve thousand of the tribe of Asher,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Naphtali,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Manasseh,
7twelve thousand of the tribe of Simeon,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Levi,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Issachar,
8twelve thousand of the tribe of Zebulun,
twelve thousand of the tribe of Joseph,
twelve thousand sealed out of the tribe of Benjamin.

The number 144,000 is the sacred number of 12 squared and then multiplied by 1000. It refers to the totality of the saved. The list of Jewish tribes excludes Dan, perhaps because of the legend that the Antichrist would arise out of the Tribe of Dan. However, it does tell us that God has not forgotten His original covenant people.

9After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10and crying out with a loud voice, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11And all the angels stood round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12saying,

Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
be to our God for ever and ever! Amen.

After John sees the totality of the Jewish saved, he sees an even greater, innumerable multitude, from every people on earth. God's salvation is for all people of all times!

13Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, clothed in white robes, and whence have they come?" 14I said to him, "Sir, you know." And he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. 16They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. 17For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Again John speaks with one of the 24 Elders, who tells him about this innumerable multitude. These are the ones who have survived the Great Tribulation--referring immediately to the Jewish War, and ultimately to that time of great trial at the end. Through their baptism, they have "washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb." At the Easter Vigil, those who are baptised are presented with a white garment, and instructed to "bring it unstained to the judgement seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, so that you may have everlasting life."

The description of their reward is an allusion to Isaiah 49:10: "They will never hunger nor thirst, scorching wind and sun will never plague them; for he who pities them will lead them, will guide them to springs of water" (NJB). God's blessing will always be on those who faithfully serve Him.

Interestingly enough, in terms of the Fall of Jerusalem, this was exactly the case. While Jerusalem was destroyed, not one Christian died in the Jewish War. Scott Hahn writes:

Yet through all the strife of the Jewish War, not a single Christian perished, because the community of believers had fled to the mountains across the Jordan to a place called Pella. We read in Revelation 7:1-4, that these Christians--144,000 from the Twelve Tribes of Israel--were preserved because they were "sealed...upon their foreheads." This recalls the signing of God's remnant in Ezekiel (see Ez 9:2-4), where the Hebrew word for "sign" is tau, transliterated as the Greek letter "T." In A.D. 70, God similarly saved the remnant of Israel who were marked with tau, the Sign of the Cross.

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Revelation 6

6 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures say, as with a voice of thunder, "Come!" 2And I saw, and behold, a white horse, and its rider had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.

The Lamb begins to open the Scroll, seal by seal, and every seal broken brings forth a judgement. The first four seals, popularly referred to as "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse", seem specifically to refer to the sack of Jerusalem in AD 70, and symbolically describe the effects of a siege.

The first horseman, then, on the white horse, is the Emperor Titus.

3When he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4And out came another horse, bright red; its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that men should slay one another; and he was given a great sword.

The second horseman, evidently, is the War.

5When he opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" And I saw, and behold, a black horse, and its rider had a balance in his hand; 6and I heard what seemed to be a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; but do not harm oil and wine!"

The third horseman is the effects of the siege, the cutting off of resources to Jerusalem, resulting in famine.

7When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8And I saw, and behold, a pale horse, and its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him; and they were given power over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

The fourth horseman is the death resulting from the first three. Scott Hahn writes about the Jewish War, saying,

...The Roman emperor Titus's armies laid siege to the city in the year A.D. 70. Siege brought on famine, pestilence, and strife, which we can see in the devastations wrought by the four angelic horsemen of Revelation 6, and by the seven angelic trumpeters of Revelation 8-9. In a manner less symbolic and more horrifically graphic, we can see these calamities described also in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus, who was an eyewitness. Josephus describes Jerusalem so ravaged by famine that its mothers, mad with hunger, began to devour their own infants. (Hahn, Scott. The Lamb's Supper. [New York: Doubleday, 1999], p. 97.)

While the imagery is very descriptive of the Fall of Jerusalem, we should also note that the final meaning of the text is not limited to these events, but through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, typologically speak of the final judgement of the whole world. Over and over again, in the Book of Revelation, the city of Jerusalem prefigures and stands in for the entire world.

Verse 8 is also an allusion to Ezekiel 14:21, where God threatens the same punishment ("sword, famine, wild beasts and plague--to denude it of human and animal") on Jerusalem. However, in that passage, He also promises mercy and the survival of a faithful remnant ("even so, there will be a remnant left, a few men and women who come through"-Ezekiel 14:22, NJB). We will meet this remnant in Chapter 7.

9When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; 10they cried out with a loud voice, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?" 11Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been.

Here we have the martyrs who have died for their faith. They are found under the heavenly altar, and pray for the just judgement of God for the world. The white robe they are given, later in Revelation is described as their deeds, and they are told to wait, because more like them still had to suffer and die.

From this passage we see, for the first time, Heaven's Altar. This altar is the one on which Jesus continually presents Himself as Priest and Victim to God, and which we participate in in the Eucharist. We also see the souls of the dead there, who have been faithful to God, showing us that at death, the souls of the sanctified rest in Heaven with God. They are under the altar because their sacrifices have been joined to that of Christ, and they intercede for us in praying that God's Will be done on the earth.

Finally, we are reassured by their instruction to wait a while, for the rest "who were to be killed as they themselves had been." This is reassuring not because of their deaths, but because, through all the violence and death being described, we see first, God has a plan and is in absolute control, and second, that there is a blessed reward for the faithful, even when they must suffer for that faith.

This seal introduces these saints as further evidence against Jerusalem (and the world), pointing to their just judgement.

12When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, 13and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; 14the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. 15Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the generals and the rich and the strong, and every one, slave and free, hid in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, 16calling to the mountains and rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand before it?"

The opening of the sixth seal gives the judgements a more definitively universal scope. Verses 12-14 allude to Isaiah 34:1-4, in which God begins to judge the world on behalf of its treatment of His people, hence this judgement following on the fifth seal and the martyrs. Verses 15 and 16 allude to Hosea 10:8 and Isaiah 2:10-19, to the judgement of the idolatry of ancient Israel. Condemnation of idolatry is a major theme in Revelation. God's final judgement is destruction on those who have traded in their worship of Him for worship of His Creation, but everlasting reward for those who have sought Him and served Him faithfully.

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Revelation 5

5 And I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals; 2and I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?" 3And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4and I wept much that no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5Then one of the elders said to me, "Weep not; lo, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."

John sees that God is holding a scroll. This alludes to Ezekiel 2:9, and the scroll is a scroll of Judgement. In Ezekiel, the Scroll is given to the Prophet so that he might announce God's judgements to a stubborn and rebellious Israel. According to him, on it was written "Lamentations, dirges and cries of grief"(Ezk 2:9, NJB). The Scroll in Revelation is sealed with seven seals. Seven again is a symbolic number, for perfection--hence, perfectly sealed. This is why not just anyone could open it. The seals were placed throughout the document, so that the outermost seal was opened first, and the scroll was unrolled until the second seal, consecutively until the seventh. Chapters 6-8 record the breaking of these seals.

As I stated in Chapter 1, Revelation is a retrospective look at the Fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and a Prophetic discourse on how Jerusalem's destruction is typological of the world's ultimate judgement. Hence, we shall see in the breaking of the seven seals and the resulting judgements, imagery that very directly refers to and describes Jerusalem's downfall, but on a more grandiose scheme. Thus, Revelation is a description of the Courtroom of God.

It is also important to remember that Revelation is a Liturgical document--not in the sense that it is a play-by-play of the Mass, but rather, it is a mystical description of what takes place in Mass. As such, just as Revelation is a Court of Justice for the World, so is the Mass a Court of Justice for us. Through our sin, we are guilty. We plead guilty before God at the beginning of Mass in the Penitential Rite, hear the just judgements pronounced in the Reading and the Homily, and finally throw ourselves on the Divine Mercy of the Court, finding forgiveness in the Sacrifice of Christ as we renew our Covenant with Him in the Eucharist.

John weeps because no one is worthy enough to break the seven seals and open the Scroll, although all heaven and earth was searched. But at his point of despair, one of the Elders reassures him, by pointing him to the Lion of Judah!

(Interesting trivia, if the 24 Elders are in fact the 12 heads of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the 12 Apostles, it is likely that the Elder that spoke thus to John was in fact one of his close friends, and, in a mystical way, could have even been himself! It's amazing to ponder what occurs when the Infinite comes into contact with our own small finite reality--and it comes into contact with us at every Mass and in every Eucharist!)

6And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders, I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth; 7and he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints; 9and they sang a new song, saying,

Worthy art thou to take the scroll
and to open its seals,
for thou wast slain and by thy blood
didst ransom men for God
from every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God,
and they shall reign on earth.

Enter the Lamb of God! When John turns in order to see the impressive "Lion of the tribe of Judah", what he sees is shockingly incongruous: a lamb, and not only that, one that looked dead! Granted, it has seven eyes and seven horns (perfect knowledge and perfect strength, as well as being the seven spirits of God). But nevertheless, a lamb is not a lion--and if there was any more opposite creatures in the animal kingdom, it is these. But it is this Lamb who is worthy to open the seals.

When He takes the Scroll, the Four Living Creatures and the 24 Elders tell us why He alone is worthy for this task: Because He had been slain, and had become the Saviour of the World! This is Jesus!

11Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice,

Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and might and honor and glory and blessing!

13And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying,

To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!

14And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The Lamb of God! Of all things to present Himself as for Eternity in Heaven, Jesus chooses a Lamb! Why? Because that was the key sacrificial animal, of the key sacrificial event in history: The Passover, where God ransomed Israel from the Egyptians, and set them free. This is where God made His Covenant with them, to be their God, and they His people.

And when Jesus came, became a Man, in order to become the Sacrifice for our sins, to ransom us from slavery to Sin, so that we could be God's people, and He could be our God, Jesus made that sacrifice during the Passover. He really was our Passover Lamb! And what seemed to be His tragic defeat, His death on the Cross, was actually the very act of Victory, by which we are saved!

And in Heaven, Jesus continually presents His sacrifice to God, on our behalf as our High Priest--the Once-for-All Sacrifice, eternally present in Heaven. He is the Lamb who was Slain, and we participate in that sacrifice, appropriating it to ourselves, when Heaven and Earth meet, in the Eucharist!

The Lamb is present. He has taken the Scroll. Let the judgement begin: Court is in Session.

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Revelation 4

4 After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, "Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this." 2At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne! 3And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. 4Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. 5From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; 6and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: 7the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. 8And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing,

Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was and is and is to come!

9And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing,

11Worthy art thou, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for thou didst create all things,
and by thy will they existed and were created.

After the Letters, Jesus ("the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet") calls John to come up, and John is brought to Heaven "in the spirit". When John gets there, he sees the throneroom of heaven, described with allusions to Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1 and 10. God is seen as sitting on the Throne, composed, it seems, of the most precious stones, and surrounded by His Glory like a rainbow of emerald. Around the Throne of God are 24 other thrones, with 24 Elders on them, clothed in white, with gold crowns. These 24 Elders equal the 24 priestly divisions of the Levitical code in the Old Testament, and they are priests. Elders, in the Greek, is the word presbyteroi, which is where we get our English word "Priests." Keep that in mind when reading the New Testament, when it discusses Elders in the Church (like James 5:13-16).

These 24 Priests in Revelation are liturgically dressed in white vestments and are prepared to offer worship to God. Most scholars feel that they are the 12 Fathers of the 12 Tribes of Israel, and the 12 Apostles--together the representatives of God's Covenant People. Along with these Priests are numerous angelic beings: The seven spirits of God, the Archangels (cf. Tobit 12:15), the Four Living Creatures, who are covered with eyes, and each have 6 wings, representing their vigilance and swiftness in God's service. Their heads each represent the greatest creatures in God's creation: The Bull is the greatest domestic animal, the Eagle is the greatest of the birds, the Lion is the greatest Beast, and Man is the greatest of all Creation. Hence, these 4 creatures are representative of all God's creation. Four, as well, is a symbolic number recurring often in Revelation, symbolising completeness or wholeness. Notably, in Christian iconography, each of these creatures is assigned to one of the Four Gospels.

Their worship is antiphonal, or responsorial. When the Four Living Creatures praise God (v. 8), the 24 Elders respond with praise of their own. This Heavenly Liturgy, according to verse 8, is unending! The Holy, Holy, Holy is echoed in the Mass, known in the West as the Sanctus, and in the East as the "Trisagion".

Heaven here is described as resembling the Jewish Temple, with its priests, Mennorah, the "glassy sea" (the large pool of polished bronze that held 11,500 gallons of water), and the Altar (chapter 5, verse 9). Or rather, it should be said that the earthly Temple in Jerusalem resembled the Eternal Throneroom of God, as the Book of Wisdom tells us,

You have bidden me build a temple on your holy mountain,
and an altar in the city where you have pitched your tent,
a copy of the holy Tent which you prepared at the beginning. (9:8, NJB)

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