The Christ of the Apocalypse: Talk 3

 In these talks based on my book The Christ of the Apocalypse: Contemplating the Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation, I focus on the portrait of Jesus Christ in the Book of Revelation. St. John offers us a message of hope in difficult times, and his language is rich and symbolic: • How do we interpret the Apocalypse? • Do we interpret St. John literally? • Is the Apocalypse about the end of the world? • Or is it about the beginning of a new creation? Images that have captured the imagination include: the Four Horsemen, the Antichrist, the Number of the Beast, and the Battle of Armageddon. Yet the basic facts about the Book often go unnoticed: that the Apocalypse is – from start to finish – a Revelation of Jesus Christ, who will return in glory at the end of time to usher in a new heaven and a new earth. Finally, I offer some reflections on the relevance of John’s message of hope in our postmodern, post-truth world and post-human world. With the rise of artificial intelligence, and as the universe gives way to the metaverse, John calls us to give brave witness to the truth of the Gospel and so begin now to become a new creation in Christ. - Monsignor A. Robert Nusca OVERVIEW: Introduction to the Talks Talk 1: The Apocalypse of John: A Message of Hope in Difficult Times Talk 2: The Faces of Jesus in the Gospels: The Portraits of Jesus that Emerge in the Four Gospels Talk 3: The Faces of Christ: Jesus in the Book of Revelation Talk 4: Jesus Walks among the Seven Churches: Christ as Glorified Angel Talk 5: The Visions of the Lamb of God: We Examine the Image of the Slain Lion/Lamb of God. Talk 6: The Divine Warrior-The Rider on a White Horse: Christ Returns in Judgement & Glory at the End of Time. Talk 7: A Fourth Face: The Faithful Transformed by God’s Grace Talk 8: The Promises to the Victors: What does Jesus Promise to those who give Faithful Witness to the Gospel? Epilogue: The New Jerusalem: John's Message for us Today! Quotes referenced in these talks, can be found here https://arnusca.substack.com/p/references-for-the-faces-of-jesus To sign up for free to Msgr. Nusca's website, please see arnusca.substack.com to receive ongoing articles as they are published. 

Transcript

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Through the kindness of our donors, the National Catholic Broadcasting Council presents. Let us learn together. Please join Monsignor Robert Nuska for The Christ of the Apocalypse. Talk 3: The Faces of Jesus in the Book of Revelation. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place. And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written therein, for the time is near.

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The Apocalypse contains a powerful message from God and is given to St. John by an angel. We should note that before describing any images of destruction, John offers us nothing less than a view through an open door that looks into heaven, beginning in chapter 4.

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After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door. And the first voice which I heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.

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Here John describes a radiant, sparkling, glorious world, a world filled with song, the songs of the angels who praise the All Holy God day and night without ceasing. Why are the angels singing if the world is being destroyed? Is the apocalypse really about the end of the world or the beginning of a new one? Does John want to inspire fear in his audience, or a greater faith, hope, and trust in God? John invites us to step into God's world, to be transformed in the process. For yes, John's visions reveal a world, God's world, but at the same time, they also create a world. From what John describes through the open door into heaven, not only do we hear the songs of the angels, but we're invited to add our own voices to the growing chorus of divine praises of the God who makes all things new. Heaven and earth are united in the praises of God and the Lamb when we raise our hearts, minds, and voices up to heaven and give praise and worship to God along with the angels. Ultimately, in the words of one commentator, what John describes is one church of angels and human beings, united in the praises of God and the Lamb. And so the book is not designed to inspire fear in people, but on the contrary to give people hope, a confident hope, and God's own power to renew all things in a time of danger. Beyond visions of the end and terrors of the age, we're presented with a rich and multifaceted portrait of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Although unique among the writings of the New Testament, the Apocalypse presents a coherent reflection on the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and its message is aimed at strengthening the faith of his audience. And again, although the portrait of Christ that emerges is quite distinctive, it is entirely consistent with the aims of the other sacred writers of the New Testament. Let us now begin our journey through the Book of Revelation as we focus on the elaborate portrait of Jesus Christ described by St. John. In our next session, talk four of the series, let us look at the face of Jesus, who appears in chapters one to three in the form of a glorified angel. Here we will see that Jesus remains very close to the faithful on earth. He continues to walk in their midst and speaks directly to their life situation, as he comforts, consoles, and challenges the churches to give brave witness to the gospel. As we begin this time of discovery, let us join in Saint Augustine's prayer to the Holy Spirit, so that we may come to see and understand the faces of Christ described in the Apocalypse.

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Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work too may be holy. Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy. Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy. Guard me then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy.