Read an Excerpt
As We Await the Blessed Hope
A Catholic Study of the End Times
By Mark Kyriakos iUniverse
Copyright © 2015 Mark Kyriakos
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4917-7485-4
CHAPTER 1
Biblical Prophecy and Interpretation
* * *
"In Your light we see light" (Ps 36:9).
"After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, 'Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this'" (Rev 4:1).
The Word of God, Jesus
The Word of God says, "Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secrets to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7). One of the unique characteristics of the Bible is that God's Word often discloses the future, at times in great detail. Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Word declares, "I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done ... before they spring forth I tell you of them" (Is 46:9-10; 42:9). While in the Book of Sirach we read, "The Most High possesses all knowledge, and sees from of old the things that are to come: He makes known the past and the future, and reveals the deepest secrets" (Sir 42:18-19).
When we say that the Bible is God's inspired Word, we mean to say that it was written by real flesh and blood men, in real and unique historical circumstances, but written under the mysterious inspiration of the Spirit of God. This is an assertion of faith, to be sure, but it is one hardly contrary to reason, as we'll see. However, from the Christian perspective, the Living Word of God is not so much some thing, but more precisely someone — — "His name is called The Word of God," and His name is Jesus (Rev 19:13; cf. Lk 1:31). Jesus did not merely speak the words of God, Jesus is the Word of God: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14). In this light the Catholic Church teaches that through all the words of Scripture God, in truth, is speaking only one single Word, His one Utterance whom He has revealed to His creation, and in whom He expresses Himself fully: "You recall that one and the same Word of God extends throughout Scripture, that it is one and the same Utterance that resounds in the mouths of all the sacred writers. ... The Scriptures are in fact, in any passage you care to choose, singing of Christ, provided we have ears that are capable of picking out the tune" (St. Augustine). The Word of God is Christ Jesus; the Word of God is Sacred Scripture; and the Word of God is the Sacred Tradition of Holy Mother Church. Hugh of St. Victor, a Medieval theologian, summed up well the teaching of the Church over the centuries when he wrote that all Scripture is one book, and this book is Jesus, because all Scripture testifies of Jesus, and all Sripture is fulfilled in Jesus (cf. CCC 134, 2763). "Every single page of either Testament seems to center around Christ." St. Jerome stated the same truth in a different manner when he declared that ignorance of the Bible meant ignorance of Christ (cf. CCC 133). "Small wonder, then," that the Church's "Greatest Doctor ... applied everything in the Bible to Christ" (Benedict XV).
All true prophecy, whether it be from the pages of Sacred Scripture, or whether it is a private revelation given to one of God's children, a citizen of the currently existing Kingdom of Heaven, will always bear testimony to Jesus (cf. Mt 4:17; Jn 5:39, 46). For the Holy Spirit, who is "the spirit of prophecy" and "the spirit of truth," will always glorify Jesus Christ, the Living Word of God, in whom "all things consist" (Rev 19:10; Jn 16:13; Col 1:17). The Apostle John writes,
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world (1 Jn 4:1-3).
Notice that the crux of the test of authentic prophecy is the acknowledgment of Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son, or Word, of God (cf. CCC 463). On the other hand, while true prophecy always confesses the Incarnation of the Messiah, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, a denial of Jesus' divinity has its origin in "the spirit of the Antichrist," a spirit animated by Satan (cf. 2 Thes 2:9; Rev 13:2). Furthermore, the passage above shows us that that which fundamentally distinguishes unbelievers from the new people of God are their respective responses toward the Living Word of God, that is, toward Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 8:37-47). As Jesus asserted boldly to the Pharisees, "if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote about me" (Jn 5:46). But as John tells us, "as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn 12-13).
So, the essence of true prophecy is the Word of God, Jesus Christ. "For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev 19:10). The Word of God, therefore, not only defines true prophecy, it also confines true prophecy. In other words, the focus of all prophecy inspired by the Spirit of God will always somehow pertain to Jesus and will always acknowledge His Divinity (cf. 1 Cor 2:1-2; CCC 425-427):
The criterion for judging the truth [and value] of a private [or prophetic] revelation is its orientation to Christ himself. If it leads us away from him [or becomes independent of Jesus or purports to be a different way of salvation], then it certainly does not come from the Holy Spirit, who guides us more deeply into the Gospel and not away from it (Benedict XVI).
As the Church teaches, "The mission of the Holy Spirit is always conjoined and ordered to that of the Son" (CCC 485, cf. Jn 16:14-15). Just as there are no spoken words without breath, so the Living Word of God is never alienated from the Spirit, or "breath," of God (cf. 2 Tm 3:16; CCC 484-486).
Prophecy: Fulfilled Substantially and Symbolically
Now in a broad, generic sense, to prophesy is to proclaim God's Word. The Bible says, "he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men." In short, "he who prophesies edifies the Church" (1 Cor 14:3-4). Mark Twain once said, "The art of prophecy is very difficult, especially with respect to the future." But to prophesy in the biblical sense can also mean to literally reveal God's plans for the future. For the Apostles, though, "the prophetic word" was no doubt confirmed, or made more sure, subjectively speaking, as they actually witnessed the prophecies of the Old Testament fulfilled before their very eyes (2 Pt 1:19; cf. Jn 2:22). As Peter wrote, "we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty" (2 Pt 1:16). Jesus told the Apostles that, "many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it" (Mt 13:16-17). Since true prophecy has Jesus Christ as its center, as He is the Revelation of God, the prophecies of the Old Testament exist primarily to reveal Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind (cf. Heb 1:1-4; CCC 65-67). In their Messiah the Apostles saw the Revelation of the Old Testament come alive (cf. Ps 40:7-8; Heb 10:5-7). In fact, one of the most important principles of biblical interpretation is the truth that the entire Old Testament ("all things which are written") has already been historically "fulfilled" in Jesus Christ and the Kingdom He established two thousand years ago, as "all the prophets ... foretold" (Lk 21:22; Acts 3:24; cf. Lk 16:16; 18:31; 22:37; 24:25; Mt 5:17-18; Mk 1:14-15; Jn 5:39; 12:16; Acts 3:18; 7:52; 10:43; 13:27; 24:14). "All the Scriptures [of the Old Testament] — — the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms — — are fulfilled in Christ" (CCC 2763): "And beginning at Moses" the Risen Christ explained to His disciples "in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself," saying to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me" (Lk 24:27, 44). It has been rightly observed that the "literal fulfillment of a prophecy is the seal of its divine origin." And as the Old Testament prophesied, and the New Testament revealed, Jesus literally:
- was born of a virgin (cf. Is 7:14; Lk 1:27, 34);
- is true God and true man (cf. Ps 45:6-7; 110; Is 9:6; 11; Jer 23:5-6; Dan 7:13-14; Mic 5:2; Zech 2:8-11; 3:8-9; 6:11-13; Mal 3:1; Mt 1:18, 20; Heb 8:1; 9:14; Rev 19:12);
- is the Son of God (cf. Gn 18; 32:22-32; Ex 3:2-6; 33:20; Jdg 13:3-22; Ps 2:7-12; 33:6; Pr 30:4; Wis 2:12-20; Jer 17:5; Bar 3:37-38; Mt 3:17; Lk 1:35);
- was born in Bethlehem (cf. Mic 5:2; Lk 2:4-7);
- is of the tribe of Judah and of David's lineage (cf. Gn 49:10; 2Sam 7:12-16; Ps 2:6; 89:3-4; Lk 1:27, 32;
- was called out of Egypt (cf. Hos 11:1; Mt 2:14-15);
- came in the name of the Lord and became the chief stone of God's spiritual house (cf. Ps 118:22,26; Is 8:14; Zech 3:9; Mt 21:9,42; 1 Pt 2:7);
- taught in parables (cf. Ps 78:1-2; Mt 13:34-35);
- healed the sick (cf. Is 29:18-19; 35:4-6; Mt 11:5);
- preached to the poor and freed the oppressed (cf. Is 61:1; Lk 4:18);
- delighted to do God's will (cf. Ps 40:7-8; Jn 6:38; Heb 10:7);
- was zealous for God's house (cf. Ps 69:9; Jn 2:17);
- was hated without a cause (cf. Ps 35:19; Jn 15:25);
- was accused by false witnesses (cf. Ps 35:11; Mk 14:57);
- was carried into Jerusalem on a donkey (cf. Zech 9:9; Jn 12:12-15);
- was betrayed by a friend for thirty pieces of silver (cf. Ps 41:9; Zech 11:12-13; Lk 22:47; Mt 26:15; 27:3-10);
- was flogged and physically abused (cf. Is 50:5-6; 52:14; 53:5; Mk 14:65; 15:16-20);
- was crucified, but His bones were not broken (cf. Ps 22:16; Zech 12:10; Ex 12:46; Ps 34:20; Mk 15:20-32; Jn 19:32-33, 36);
- was derided by His enemies at His execution, and His clothing taken from Him and gambled for (cf. Ps 22:7-8, 18; Lk 23:35; Mt 27:35-36);
- was executed with criminals, but was buried in a rich man's tomb (cf. Is 53:9,12; Mk 15:27-28; Mt 27:57-60);
and finally, Jesus literally rose in a glorified body on the third day and ascended into heaven (cf. Ps 7:6-7; 16:10; 47:5; 68:1,18; 110:1-2; 132:8; Acts 13:33-37; Hos 6:2; Dn 7:13-14; Lk 24:46; Acts 1:9-11; 2:30-31; Eph 4:8; Heb 8:1; Rev 12:5). The above, of course, are just some of the mountain peaks of messianic prophecy, all of which were fulfilled literally in history, "in order that the submission of our faith should be in accordance with reason" (Vatican I). For the Christian faith rests upon the action of God in history, being "established upon things truly real, that we may believe what really is" (St. Irenaeus; cf. CCC 2738). Just as the mighty works, prodigies and signs of Jesus attest that He is the Christ, or Messiah, so the prophecies He fulfills certify that God the Father has sent Him; they encourage faith in Him (cf. Acts 2:22; Lk 7:18-23; CCC 547-548; Jn 5:36; 10:25, 38). They serve also to remind us of the reliability of God's Word; what He says will happen "will come to pass" (Ez 12:25; cf. 24:14). As Jesus emphasized in a sermon illuminating the End Times, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (Mt 24:35).
More often than not, though, biblical prophecy is rich in symbolism, subtle and multi-layered, with varied legitimate meanings. In fact, the foremost way we "see" Jesus in the Old Testament is not in direct messianic prophecy per se, but rather through typology. Typology describes a prophetic correspondence between persons, things, and events in the Old Testament and Jesus in the New Testament (cf. CCC 1094). When we read the Old Testament prayerfully, in the Spirit by which it was written, we "notice how the type of Jesus is revealed" (Epistle of Barnabas 7.7). For example, Moses is a type of Christ, that is to say, he symbolically prefigures Christ and His mission. Moses' life represents a facet of God's definitive Revelation to mankind in Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 1:1-18). But Jesus, whom we call the antitype, is the complete fulfillment of all previous and partially revealed aspects of God's Word (cf. Heb 1:1-3). Other biblical personalities from antiquity, like Adam, Enoch, Joshua and David are all good examples of Old Testament types of Christ. They each, in their own way, show us something about the reality of Christ, who was, during their lifetime, still to come. As Job, another type of our Lord, said: "I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth" (Job 19:25). But Old Testament types can also refer to other realities "pertaining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). For example, the New Testament describes the crossing of the Red Sea as a type of Christian baptism, as it does circumcision (cf. 1 Cor 10:1-2; Col 2:11-14). "Once again you have in these things the glory of Jesus, because all things are in him and for him" (Barnabas 12.7). In short, "by prophecy" and "through various types," "the mystery of our salvation" in Christ "is present in a hidden way" throughout the Old Testament. But more significantly for our immediate purposes (and the basic theme of this book), we will see that the dramatic events surrounding the definitive fulfillment of the Old Covenant (including the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple, in AD 70), as prophesied by our Lord forty years earlier, serve as a prophetic type, or allegory, corresponding to events of the Earth's last days.
In speaking of this inspired unity between the Old and New Testaments, the Church has always taught that the unity of God's salvific plan, as revealed in Scripture, can be discerned through typology, that is to say, that persons, places, things and events in the Old Testament (while real in themselves) serve as prefigurations of what God has accomplished in the Person of Christ Jesus, and the Kingdom He inaugurated in the fullness of time (cf. 1 Cor 10:6, 11; Gal 4:21-31; Heb 10:1; 1 Pt 3:21; CCC 128). In the Old Testament "the mystery of our salvation is present in a hidden way," but "the veil is taken away in Christ" (2 Cor 3:14). In other words, as Jesus says, "the Scriptures ... testify of Me" (Jn 5:39). And unless "one turns to the Lord," that he "may have life," "the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament" (2 Cor 3:16, 14; Jn 5:40). "God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New. For, though Christ established the new covenant in His blood, still the books of the Old Testament with all their parts ... show forth their full meaning in the New Testament and in turn shed light on it and explain it" (cf. CCC 129). This Apostolic (or truly Christian) reading of the Old Testament is called "typological" because it reveals the reality of Christ and His Kingdom "through various types," many of which are unveiled in the New Testament (e.g. Jn 6:32-50; 1 Cor 10:1-11; Gal 4:21-31; Col 2:11-12; 1 Pt 3:21; cf. CCC 1094).
The Bible says God spoke "in various ways" through "the prophets" (Heb 1:1). In other words, God's Revelation comes to us through various modes of cultural and linguistic expression, always situated in their own historical circumstances (cf. CCC 109-110). "For the words of God, expressed in human language, have been made like human discourse, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when He took to Himself the flesh of human weakness, was in every way made like men" (cf. CCC 101). In "the Bible the glory of God veils itself in the fleshly garment of human thought and human language" (St. John Chrysostom). This traditional Christian approach to Scripture — — one taking into account a whole totality of factors that form the text, including historical and literary contexts, the sacred author's audience and intentions, genres, symbolism, typology, etc. — — obviously rejects attempts to always interpret the Bible in a literalist, newspaper-like fashion. In fact, one cannot logically be a Christian and deny the frequently-encountered reality of biblical, figurative language. For example, if one is to be a strict literalist with the Bible, then Jesus is certainly not the Christ. For the Old Testament states clearly in Malachi 4:5-6 that the prophet Elijah will be sent by God "before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord," to call people to repentance. But in the New Testament Jesus tells us, in effect, that this is symbolic language. It is John the Baptist, says Jesus, if we "are willing to receive it," who is, in fact, "Elijah who was to come" (Mt 11:14; cf. 17:12). Now John the Baptist, we read, was conceived in the "house of Elijah" (Eliza-Beth) and he appeared before the Lord "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk 1:17; cf. 1:13, 24). But when John is asked directly, "Are you Elijah?" he responds plainly, "I am not" (Jn 1:21). So who are we to believe? As we saw above, Jesus seems to have fulfilled many Old Testament prophecies, but what about this one? Who is telling the truth, Jesus or John the Baptist? Is John the Baptist "Elijah," or is he not?
(Continues...)
Excerpted from As We Await the Blessed Hope by Mark Kyriakos. Copyright © 2015 Mark Kyriakos. Excerpted by permission of iUniverse.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
